Uber is collaborating with electric vehicle (EV) developer Arrival to create an affordable, purpose-built electric car for ride-hailing drivers.

The two companies are exploring a strategic partnership across Britain and the EU.

The move is part of the tech company’s commitment to becoming a fully electric mobility platform in London by 2025 and by 2030 across North America and Europe.

Uber drivers have been invited to join the design process.

The final vehicle design is expected to be revealed by the end of the year. But the car isn’t expected to enter production until the third quarter of 2023.

The Arrival Car will join Arrival’s previously announced commercial products, the Bus and Van, to provide cities with a multi-modal zero-emission transportation ecosystem that they require in order to meet their sustainability goals over the coming years.

“As our cities open up we have an opportunity to make sure that urban transport is cleaner than ever before,” said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager, Northern and Eastern Europe. “Uber is committed to helping every driver in London upgrade to an EV by 2025, and thanks to our Clean Air Plan more than £135m has been raised to support this ambition. Our focus is now on encouraging drivers to use this money to help them upgrade to an electric vehicle, and our partnership with Arrival will help us achieve this goal.”

Uber recently launched ‘Uber Green’ in London, which gives customers the opportunity to choose a fully electric vehicle at no extra cost, while drivers pay a lower service fee.

In the capital, over 3.5 million Uber trips have taken place in electric vehicles.

Uber has said that it will double the number of drivers in EVs by the end of this year as part of the roadmap for all cars on the app to be fully electric by 2025.

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