Ford on Thursday announced the start of a pilot program allowing Uber drivers in some markets to lease EVs by the week for use on the ride-hailing network.
With a pilot program called Ford Drive, the automaker says that it will offer Mustang Mach-E models in San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with the Los Angeles program starting Thursday.
Drivers can sign up for flexible lease periods of one to four months, and the car is delivered within two weeks of signup. A Ford Drive app is used for car payments and service, and cars come from a dedicated Ford Drive fleet. Drivers will need to work out their own insurance, but regular maintenance is included.
Ford Drive – Uber pilot program with Mustang Mach-E
What do Ford EVs cost by the week?
Prices will vary by city, Ford confirmed to Green Car Reports, but it did provide an idea of where they’ll be. Those signing up now will see offers at $199 weekly for 500 included miles, or $249 with 1,000 included miles and 20 cents a mile for overage.
That’s a better deal than what Hertz had been offering on the Model 3 to Uber drivers—around $300 a week, although there including insurance.
Uber’s Zero Emissions incentive is currently one of the company’s ways of incentivizing drivers to shift to EVs; it currently adds an extra $1 for drivers for each EV Uber Rides trip, up to $4,000 per calendar year.
Uber says that in California, 10% of its on-trip miles are already completed in fully electric vehicles, as of late 2022. It’s targeting all-electric rides by 2030.
The program builds on one launched in 2022 between Ford Next and Uber in San Diego, including 150 Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Ford Next is a unit focused on future technologies, including autonomous vehicle tech.
Ford Drive – Uber pilot program with Mustang Mach-E
Uber-ready Mach-E is BlueCruise assisted-driving-capable
On that note, Ford Next confirmed to Green Car Reports that all Mustang Mach-E vehicles delivered through the program will be BlueCruise-capable. Customers may choose to activate the feature if desired.
Uber claims that switching high-mileage ride-hailing drivers to electric results in four times the emissions-reduction benefit versus that of the average car owner, so just as with the potential of getting gasoline superusers into EVs, there’s more of a real-world environmental return, sooner. It will also help lessen the environmental impact of so-called “deadhead miles”—the distance drivers need to cover to get to the start of a trip and from the end of it.
According to a report earlier this year Uber continues to work with unnamed automakers on EVs customized for ride-hailing and delivery services, although an eye-catching ride-hailing EV design from Arrival appears to have been scrapped.
