2024-08-01 22:10:41
In the USA, high punitive tariffs are blocking Chinese electric cars from entering the market. But the American ride-hailing service Uber wants to gain increased access to this market worldwide.
When you order a ride with Uber, a Chinese electric car could soon be arriving more frequently in Europe and Latin America. The ride-hailing service wants to bring 100,000 cars from the car manufacturer BYD onto its platform.
The partnership will be expanded over time to include the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the companies announced. The USA is missing from the list: the US government is keeping Chinese electric cars off the market with punitive tariffs, citing unfair subsidies. The cooperation is intended to give Uber drivers better prices and financing offers for BYD electric cars.
The companies also want to work together to bring future cars with autonomous driving capabilities to the Uber platform. As a global service, Uber sees itself in a good position to make self-driving cars accessible to many people, it said.
The current pioneer in robotaxis is Google’s sister company Waymo, which transports passengers in several US cities with driverless vehicles. Waymo uses converted electric cars from Jaguar.