Uber drivers take advantage of Hertz's electric rental program

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Uber drivers take advantage of Hertz's electric rental program

More than 15,000 of the ride-hailing company's drivers are taking advantage of the Tesla rental program after Uber partnered with Hertz just eight months ago.

The partnership aims to make up to 50,000 Teslas available for rental by 2023, and is available to Uber drivers in more than 30 U.S. cities.

The partners include the 2021 and 2022 Model 3 Standard Plus and the 2021 and 2022 Model 3 Long Range. Uber drivers have already completed more than 5 million fully electric trips and drove over 40 million electric miles through the Tesla rentals with Hertz.

Eligible drivers must have completed at least 150 trips and maintain a 4.85 star rating to rent a Tesla through the Hertz partnership, which starts at $334 per week, excluding taxes and fees.

An Uber spokesman told FOX Business that the rental price will drop to $299 or lower as the program continues. All rental offers include vehicle maintenance and insurance.

The incentives can be given to drivers who use electric vehicles, such as $1 per trip or up to $4,000 annually. They are also given access to Tesla's Supercharger network and Uber's exclusive EVgo discounts to boost savings on gas.

Andrew Macdonald, Uber's senior vice president of mobility and business operations, said that the program is a win for drivers, who are expressing pride in being part of the climate solution and are welcoming increased earnings through gas savings, electric vehicle incentives and tips. It's a win for riders who are enjoying more rides in Teslas than ever before. 95% of its drivers renting Teslas through Hertz have never driven an electric vehicle before, according to the ride-hailing giant. It notes that 92% of them are considering purchasing an electric vehicle.

Other vehicles available through Uber Comfort Electric include Volvo's Polestar 2, Ford's Mustang Mach-E, Volkswagen's Audi e-Tron and Porsche's Taycan, General Motors' Cadillac Lyriq, BMW's iX, Tata Motors' Jaguar I-PACE and Mercedes-Benz's EQS. Hertz entered an agreement in April to buy up to 65,000 Polestar electric vehicles over the next five years.

Uber, which has more than 19,000 battery EV drivers active on its platform worldwide, offers exposure to EV technology and zero emissions trips to nearly 2 million riders a month.

The company will commit to making $800 million available in resources to help hundreds of thousands of drivers transition to battery electric vehicles by the year 2030.

The average gas price was $4.88 per gallon as of Tuesday, according to AAA.