Nissan and Uber trial EVs in London

Nissan has partnered with Uber to trial the option of driving all-electric vehicles in London.

The project is set to extensively trial 20 all-electric Nissan Leafs in the capital in a first for the Uber app, which is already associated with hybrid cars.

In addition to Nissan and Uber’s eco-friendly focus, the companies are readying for the capital centre’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone in 2020. This will see all cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses, and buses in this zone paying a fee to travel unless they meet certain emissions requirements.

And even though nearly 60% of Uber rides in London are made in hybrid vehicles, the company says it’s interested in identifying the environmental and economic benefits of having all-electric vehicles in London before the capital’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone goes into effect.

Gareth Dunsmore, head of electric vehicles for Nissan Europe, said the project could ultimately lead to major improvements in air quality in London and across the UK. This is in keeping with the carmaker’s commitment to tackling air pollution in London and across the UK.

“We are confident this trial will prove a success and that Uber will join scores of taxi and private hire operators across the UK and wider Europe in recognising the financial and environmental benefits of Nissan’s market-leading electric vehicles.”

Run in partnership with the Energy Savings Trust (EST), the study will look into the feasibility of running large numbers of electric private hire vehicles in the UK.

The EST will research the experience, driving patterns and economics of private hire drivers using electric cars and the capacity of London’s current network of charging points to support these vehicles.

Nissan forged the EV market in 2010 with the launch of the first generation Nissan Leaf. To date it remains the world’s best-selling EV with more than 230,000 on the road globally.

With a focus on bringing Intelligent Mobility solutions to the masses, Nissan recently introduced a new 30kWh battery model that delivers 26% more range versus the previous generation model, and up to 249km of driving range on a single charge.

The Nissan Leaf and the larger Nissan e-NV200 Combi have already proved their worth as taxis and private hire vehicles. In fact, hundreds are now in operation in towns and cities, having clocked up tens of thousands of fares and more than 4,828032 EV kilometres.

“Our car-sharing service has already saved 1.93121km and 211 metric tonnes of CO2,” concluded Jo Bertram, regional general manager of Uber in the UK. “With electric vehicles – and more people sharing their journey and leaving their own cars at home – there’s even more we can do.”

For more information about Nissan’s electric vehicle range, visit nissan.eu/experience-nissan.html.