Electrified Bell Nexus concept shows how Uber Air could take off

Bell Nexus VTOL hybrid air taxiAlthough flying cars aren’t looking that much closer to reality, your Uber could take to the air in just a few years and be electric. Well, mostly electric, eventually. Hybrid electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles could come into service specifically as air taxis. In January, at CES, Bell Helicopter presented one such...

Uber to bank London surcharge toward electric vehicles for its drivers

Uber electric carUber announced Tuesday that it will levy a surcharge for its ride-hailing passengers in London. The goal: to get 20,000 drivers to go all-electric by the end of 2021, on the way to make every car using its ride-hailing app an electric vehicle in the smog- and congestion-prone city by 2025. The surcharge, which is part of the company’s...

Uber starts paying drivers to buy electric

Uber driver (photo by Uber)Electric cars and fleets go hand-in-hand. That's the message Uber is trying to send to its drivers with a new program it calls EV Champions, which will pay some drivers higher rates if they drive an electric car. The pilot program starts this week and will run for a year in seven cities: Austin, Texas; Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San...

Oil-rich Dubai adds a fleet of Uber Tesla electric cars

2017 Tesla Model XDubai, the second largest sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates, rose to riches thanks to abundant oil. With some of the lowest fuel prices in the world, SUVs and inefficient vehicles roam the flashy Emirati city en masse. However, ride-sharing service Uber is now bucking tradition by letting users select a zero-emission option with a fleet of...

Uber urges Portland drivers to lease electric cars

Electric Avenue charging stations in Portland, Oregon [photo: Portland General Electric]In the wake of numerous recent PR setbacks, Uber may be able to help clean up its image with the launch of the Uber EV initiative in Portland, which supports the city’s green vision for the future. When you think of electric mobility, California might be the first state to come to mind—but Oregon is not far behind. It's one of 13...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk named to Trump’s business-leader forum

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been appointed to a forum of business leaders being assembled by President-elect Donald Trump. The addition of Musk and two other notable business personalities was announced Wednesday by Trump's transition team, shortly before a meeting between the President-elect and several Silicon Valley executives, including Musk. The...

Uber logs another mass-transit win, this time in New Jersey

Uber appSupporters of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft believe they can do more than simply serve as alternatives to private car ownership. Both companies and policymakers are experimenting with ways to use ride-sharing to supplement, even replace, dedicated mass-transit infrastructure. The latest example comes from New Jersey, where officials in...