Uber Green set to become NZ’s first fully-electric rideshare

Uber New Zealand has begun transitioning its Green product, which currently matches riders with a low- or no-emissions trip in a hybrid or EV, to a fully-electric service only.

It means hybrids will be phased out of the vehicle mix for Uber Green, with the product becoming fully electric from April 2025, while Uber Green will remain priced at parity with Uber X and be serviced exclusively by EVs, says Uber New Zealand.

Its move to better enable local driver partners to make the switch coincides with Uber hosting its second annual climate event GO-GET Zero in London where chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi unveiled product updates and new initiatives to accelerate Uber’s global ambition to be zero-emissions by 2040.

“We hear regularly from our driver partners that high purchase costs are the biggest blocker when it comes to driving an EV,” says Uber Australia and New Zealand managing director Emma Foley.

“Knowing this, we feel a responsibility to use the power of our platform to help bring down those costs and make driving an EV on Uber a compelling value proposition for driver partners and delivery people.

“At the same time, we know Kiwis are increasingly looking to make more environmentally conscious decisions across many aspects of their lives.”

To help grow the number of EVs on Uber to serve increasing demand for electric rideshare products, last year Uber committed $7.5 million in incentives to help driver partners go electric.

In the third quarter of this year, there were more than 400 EVs on the platform that completed more than 220,000 trips across New Zealand (or more than 2300 zero-emissions trips daily).

EVs completed nearly 4% of all kilometres driven on the platform during this period, says Uber New Zealand, adding a lot more work has to be done.

In August, Uber partnered with BYD New Zealand to pilot a programme to offer new EVs to Auckland-based driver partners and delivery people via a range of affordable financing options.

It’s expanding this programme across New Zealand, with a supply of 500 BYD EVs, including the Dolphin, Atto 3 and Seal – all of which are available on Uber’s newly-launched Vehicle Marketplace in New Zealand.

“BYD’s core mission is to cool the Earth by one degree. Having fewer cars on the road and cleaner mobility options for the New Zealand public works towards our mission,” says BYD New Zealand country manager Warren Wilmot.

“All our BYD vehicles have met five-star ANCAP safety standards, so Uber passengers can ride in BYD cars guilt-free and protected by our cutting-edge technology.

“We also know our Uber driver customers love their cars, and it’s great having these real driver ambassadors out and about talking to the public and keeping our cities moving.”

The BYD vehicles will be available exclusively to Kiwi driver partners and delivery people via financing offers and with inclusions unavailable to the general public, from $229 per week. All offers include a six-year service plan and six-year warranty.

While a 2024 survey of New Zealand Uber driver partners revealed that the purchase cost is the number one barrier (57%) for driver partners wanting to switch to an EV, battery range (40%) and the cost of charging (39%) follow closely behind as key concerns.

Uber and BP Charge plan to introduce EV charging offers for Uber driver partners in New Zealand, on top of existing fuel, shop and coffee offers.

Targeting a launch by year’s end, Uber driver partners would save on the cost of charging at any of the more than 170 BP Charge EV charging bays across the country. The rate of savings will vary based on an individual driver partner’s Uber Pro tier status, says Uber New Zealand.

“We’re planning to build on our already strong relationship with Uber, by expanding our offers for EV drivers and delivery people in New Zealand,” says BP Charge New Zealand general manager Antoine Denis.

Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson says it’s an exciting development for Uber customers.

“This means 500 more EVs on the roads, better still it means more New Zealanders experiencing EVs when they get an Uber,” says Corson.

“Because when you try an EV, you want to buy an EV. They’re cheaper to run, good for the planet, and more fun to drive.”

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