Could electric vehicles be the solution to congestion and pollution problems in London?
Uber is to bring 50 electric cars to the streets of London as part of a test base, in partnership with Nissan and China’s BYD.
The fleet of 50 Nissan Leaf and BYD E6 vehicles will hit London’s street over the course of the next month.
If this test is successful, Uber intends to increase this to hundreds of electric vehicles.
As part of the project, Uber is providing leasing options to drivers.
Uber is also exploring the effect of electric cars on the UK’s capital in a three-month research project with the Energy Saving Trust.
Driving eco change
Uber has made no secret of its ambitions to dominate the future of transport and the company is also spearheading tests of its own self-driving vehicles.
The move by Uber is interesting in light of London’s well-documented congestion problems but also the knock-on effect of pollution from carbon emissions.
According to Transport for London, any new black cab hitting the road from 2018 onwards will have to be a low-emission vehicle.
Transport for London is driving to put 9,000 low-emission minicabs on the streets of London by 2020.
London taxis image via Shutterstock
