UK-headquartered commercial EV manufacturer Arrival has announced a partnership with Uber to develop an affordable, purpose-built electric car for ride-hailing drivers.
Based on Arrival’s Small Vehicle Platform, the Arrival Car is expected to enter production in Q3 2023.
With a typical ride-hailing vehicle averaging 45-50,000km a year, versus 12,000km for a typical privately driven vehicle, Arrival said the new EV will address the global need to shift ride-hailing and car sharing services to electric to reduce emissions and improve air quality in cities.
The partnership follows Uber’s commitment to becoming a fully electric mobility platform in London by 2025 and by 2030 across North America and Europe.
Arrival said it will collaborate with Uber drivers in the design process over the coming months to ensure the Arrival Car reflects the needs of professional drivers and their passengers, with the final vehicle design expected to be revealed before the end of 2021.
“We are confident that electrifying ride-hailing vehicles will have an outsized impact on cities, and we are keen to support drivers as they manage this transition,” said Tom Elvidge, SVP, Arrival Mobility UK.
“Arrival Car will be designed around drivers’ needs to create a vehicle that is affordable, durable and desirable.”
The Arrival Car joins Arrival’s previously announced commercial products, the Bus and Van, which are designed to provide cities with a multimodal zero-emission transportation ecosystem to help meet sustainability goals.
The vehicle will be manufactured at Arrival Microfactories close to areas of demand. According to Arrival, this will enable the production of vehicles in specific regions to service markets seeing rapid growth in ride hailing and car sharing.
