Uber: taxi business offers UK grants to London drivers for electric vehicle switch as it aims for all-EV fleet

Uber is offering £5,000 grants to its London drivers who switch to electric vehicles (EVs), part of the company’s commitment to having an all-electric fleet in the capital by the end of 2025.

Drivers can use the grant as a lump sum for purchasing an EV, or apply it to weekly payments for rental or rent-to-buy agreements. Additionally, Uber has negotiated discounts ranging from £12,000 to £17,000 on select EV models for its drivers.

Currently, about a quarter of the miles driven by Uber vehicles in London are in electric cars. There are over 100,000 Uber vehicles in the UK, with approximately half of them operating in London.

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Uber’s UK general manager, Andrew Brem, said: “Now is the time to speed up on electrification, not slow down. We cannot reach our collective zero-emission goals without continued action from policymakers and investment across the industry.

“Uber drivers can be the catalyst for accelerating electrification across the transport sector but collaboration will be crucial to combat air pollution and work towards a more sustainable future.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I am determined to achieve my mission to make London a net-zero city by 2030, and the electrification of our buses and cars is absolutely key to this.

“I welcome this initiative, which will give drivers who need it a helping hand to switch their petrol or diesel vehicle for an electric one. Schemes like this are helping us to build a fairer, greener London for everyone.”

EVs produce zero emissions, and do not emit pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, common in petrol and diesel vehicles. This leads to improved air quality, benefiting public health and reducing the environmental impact of transportation.

Even when considering emissions from electricity generation, EVs produce fewer greenhouse gases compared to conventional vehicles, and as the electricity grid becomes greener with more renewable energy sources, the environmental benefits will increase.

The news comes after a think tank said homes with insulation and eco-friendly technology like electric vehicles and heat pumps are more "energy patriotic", since they use fewer foreign fuels.

According to research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), homes with electric cars, heat pumps and insulation use less than half the imported fuel of a household that runs on petrol and oil, and more British energy.

In order to be "energy patriotic," people should buy British and replace their gas boilers and petrol-powered cars with greener models that run on electricity primarily derived from domestic wind and solar energy, said ECIU.