Uber to ban petrol and hybrid cars from 2030

Uber CEO says drivers won’t be allowed to use ICE vehicles from 2030 in some countries. Uber plans to exclude ICE cars from its taxi fleet from 2030, the ride-hailing company’s CEO has confirmed.

“We have a target to be fully electric in the US, Canada and Europe,” said Dara Khosrowshahi in an interview with CBS News.

When asked if drivers of “gas-powered” cars – which includes hybrids such as the ubiquitous Toyota Prius – would be allowed, Khosrowshahi replied: “No, if we’re doing our job, we’re gonna be all-electric.”

Uber previously joined EV makers including Arrival, Lucid, Rivian and Tesla – among numerous others – in launching the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a group lobbying for 100 per cent EV sales in the US by 2030.

In 2018, Uber confirmed plans for its London fleet to go EV-only by 2025; and in April 2022, it announced that it was on track to have 10,000 EVs operating in London by the end of the year.

The switch poses a significant challenge for Uber drivers given the cost of EVs. Meanwhile, budget-oriented four-door EVs such as the MG ZS EV is priced at just under $50,000..

Uber previously partnered with Arrival to produce a dedicated car for its operators, expected to be offered through a leasing scheme, but the latter halted the project in August to save cash as its share price dipped.