Features
31 mar 23

Bp pulse and Uber join forces to boost global EV charging

Two big players for global mobility, the energy giant BP and ride-hailing provider Uber have joined forces to accelerate the expansion of global EV charging infrastructure, starting with London, one of the major hubs for new mobility and electrification.

Following their strict roadmap towards zero-emission, bp and Uber will increase their strategic cooperation, kicked-off in 2021 with the first rapid commercial hub in London, to fulfil the zero-emission goal of Uber in the US, Canada and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2040. Uber announced the 2040 goal in 2020, pledging €677 million until 2025 to fully transform its fleet to electric vehicles (EVs). 

BP, the oil giant becoming increasingly green in its global operations, announced in BP Energy Outlook 2022 its vision of decarbonising all energy products by 2050 or sooner. BP launched an ambitious electrification strategy in Europe, partnering with Spanish energy giant Iberola and forming a strategic partnership with Volkswagen to install 8,000 fast charging points in Europe last year. The agreement with Uber and BP will expand this process worldwide, going beyond 2030 targets and aiming to penetrate APAC markets such as Australia and New Zealand while turning BP into a zero-emission company by 2050. BP has over 22,000 charging points worldwide and aims to reach more than 100,000 by 2030.

London plays a vital role in the global electrification strategy for both companies in Europe and the globe: 

  • Represents Uber’s leading market for electrification; over 15% of miles driven are all-electric,
  • Uber’s European driver’s transition to EV rate is five times higher than the general population,
  • Uber wants to become 100% electric in London by 2025.

Charging is easy as ever  

Underlining the significance of collaboration in the electrification journey, Christopher Hook, Uber’s Global Head of Sustainability, said, “Getting to 100% electric is not something Uber can do alone. It is a team sport, and it will take partnerships like this to reach zero tailpipe emissions, especially as we know the availability of easy-to-access, affordable charging infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges for drivers.”

The expanding partnership also extends the services provided to Uber drivers: 

  • A Charging Map added to the Driver App to show the nearest charging locations,
  • Launching an EV Hub in the Uber Driver app enables drivers to compare the TCO between an EV and a non-EV. 

The extended partnership between BP and Uber is good news for the UK government, which stated last year around 500,000 EV charging points are needed by 2035

Image: BP Pulse/Uber

Authored by: Mufit Yilmaz Gokmen