Uber plots Berlin expansion with e-cars

Uber will expand its Berlin fleet with electric vehicles this fall, according to an article in Handelsblatt. Since March, the controversial ride-sharing company has been chauffeuring its Munich customers with roughly 30 battery-powered cars. In light of the recently-imposed driving bans on older diesel vehicles in cities like Hamburg and Stuttgart, Uber believes that it can help clean up the air, according to the article. “Electric vehicles are ideal for our business model: short trips, little maintenance, no emissions. We can be part of the solution,” Uber General Manager Germany Christoph Weigler said.

Read the article in German here.

For background, read the article Court ruling opens door for diesel bans in German cities and the dossier The energy transition and Germany’s transport sector.