Uber announced that it is buying 100 Tesla Model Y electric vehicles to deploy in Tokyo as part of a new program.
In 2020, Hertz announced an important effort to electrify its fleet of rental cars, led by a massive purchase of 100,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles to be delivered over the next year.
Shortly after, Hertz announced that on top of adding Tesla vehicles to its rental fleet, the company also made a deal with Uber to offer its drivers access to the Tesla vehicles. Fifty-thousand Tesla vehicles will be offered for rent to Uber drivers, and the company has an option for more if the program is successful.
Since then, Uber has increasingly used Tesla vehicles to electrify its ride-hailing service – primarily in North America and Europe.
Now Uber is looking to extend its electric vehicle offering to Japan with Tesla.
Uber announced that it is working with Tesla Japan and Hinomaru Kotsu, a local taxi service, to make 100 Tesla Model Y vehicles available through its “Uber Premium” service.
The first 30 Model Ys are expected to arrive in November, and they will be based at Hinomaru Kotsu’s offices. All 100 of them are expected to be deployed by the end of 2024.
Shiro Yamanaka, Uber executive in Japan, commented on the announcement:
I am very pleased to be able to work with Hinomaru Kotsu and Tesla Japan to promote zero-emission vehicles. Uber Premium is a service that allows you to easily and reasonably call a luxury vehicle using the Uber app. in the deployment area.We expect that the demand for Uber Premium will increase further with the introduction of the Tesla Model Y, which is popular as a luxury vehicle, as a dedicated vehicle.
Ryokusai Inoue, Country Manager for Tesla in Japan, added:
We are also focusing on the taxi and hire business, mainly in North America, and we are very pleased to be able to realize an initiative of 100 units in Japan as well. We believe that business owners will also benefit greatly from this, and We will continue to have everyone experience the appeal of Tesla and expand it widely throughout Japan, regardless of whether it is a corporation or an individual.
Tesla has had issues penetrating the Japanese auto market, which notoriously favors domestic brands and has favored hydrogen fuel cells over battery-electric vehicles.
The use of Tesla vehicles in local ride-hailing services might help familiarize people with the vehicles.