London (AFP)
The giant Uber has partnered with the British start-up Arrival to develop an electric car that will allow the American VTC platform to reduce its carbon emissions, according to a joint statement on Tuesday.
The vehicle should be produced from the third quarter of 2023, explain the two companies which want to "explore a strategic partnership in the big markets, including the United Kingdom and the EU".
This announcement comes a few weeks after the Nasdaq listing in March on Wall Street of Arrival, a young company created in 2015 and specialized until now in electric vans.
Arrival is valued at over $ 10 billion on the New York Stock Exchange and counts South Korean automotive group Hyundai among its investors.
The company has 1,800 employees worldwide and is opening three factories this year, two in the United States and one in the United Kingdom.
With this agreement, Uber intends to meet its commitments to become a 100% electric platform in London by 2025 and in North America and Europe by 2030.
Uber recalls that a car with drivers drives on average between 45,000 and 50,000 kilometers per year, against 12,000 for a conventional vehicle.
Arrival will work with Uber drivers to design the vehicle in the coming months to make sure it meets their needs and those of passengers.
The model will be revealed by the end of 2021.
Uber is launching this new "green" initiative shortly after being forced to evolve its model in the UK.
After a decision of the British Supreme Court, it was obliged in March to recognize in the country the status of "worker" or salaried worker, to its drivers, which gives them the right to the minimum wage and to paid holidays, compared to the self-employed worker status.
© 2021 AFP