Uber launches EV fleet in Madrid
Uber has rolled out a fleet of electric vehicles for its licensed drivers in Madrid, according to Carles Lloret, managing director of Uber for southern Europe. The announcement comes as the ride-sharing firm seeks to improve its image in Spain. Uber was banned in the country until March this year, following a ruling that said it was not compliant with Spanish law and competed unfairly with local taxi drivers. Uber's cleaner, greener fleet could be welcome in a city that has struggled with notorious pollution levels.
In its battles with local government, Uber is happy to burnish its green credentials when it thinks doing so will help it curry favor. In Madrid, where the taxi service was banned until March this year for its use of unlicensed drivers, Uber recently introduced a fleet of electric Teslas (the Model S) for its licensed drivers. According to Reuters, Uber’s Carles Lloret said the company hopes using these cars will improve its image in the city, which has long struggled with car pollution.

Over the past couple of years, Madrid has introduced a number of measures aimed at reducing pollution and car-use. These include limiting drivers’ speeds on certain roads in the city, and fining those who travel through Madrid’s center but don’t live there. Uber itself was banned from the city in 2014, with a judge ruling that it use of amateur drivers was unfair to existing taxi services. It was allowed back this March, but the company says it’s being restricted from expanding too much.

Tesla’s are available in Madrid via the premium UberONE service.

Lloret told Reuters that Uber hopes the Teslas will encourage a more generous approach from Madrid’s local government. “We want to do things that are in line with what the town hall wants,” he said. “We would love to see more licenses awarded in the future, perhaps for greener cars so there could be more in circulation.”