Uber, the mobile app-based car-for-hire service, has agreed to purchase a small fleet of electric cars from Chinese automaker BYD.
With an initial fleet of 25 cars in the Chicago area, the pilot program hopes to test viability of the BYD e6 wagon before expanding to other cities. Uber’s plan is to help aspiring drivers easily buy or lease cars as they work for the company. According to the report in Reuters, Uber spokesperson Lauren Altmin says, “We’ve seen interest in the program already from current and potential Chicago [drivers].”
The BYD e6 cars themselves are sold through Green Wheels USA, a Chicago-area EV dealership. With a range of 186 miles, the e6 is already in use in London by a local chauffeur service. London has one of the steepest congestion charges in the world, but electric vehicles are not subject to the fee.
BYD is one of China’s largest automakers and is noted for having Warren Buffet as an investor. It hopes that the deal will help its cars make inroads into the US market. The e6 is its only model for sale in the US.
For its part, Uber hopes to expand the program to “a couple hundred” cars by the end of the year.
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