Nissan has provided a boost to its Sunderland plant after signing an agreement with taxi app Uber that could increase sales of its electric Leaf.
Nissan and Renault, which are part of an alliance, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Uber that aims to increase the use of electric vehicles in seven European capitals.
The agreement follows a trial in the 海角视频 that saw Uber ordering 2,000 Leafs from the Sunderland plant. The agreement is now being extended to France, and then other European countries.
The agreement will also see the companies working together on how they can accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, including offering Uber drivers discounts on the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Zoe.
Jordi Vila, divisional vice president for sales and marketing at Nissan Europe, said: 鈥淔rom 10 years of experience with the Nissan Leaf, we know people love driving electric, and that making the switch can help drivers to save money and support the clean air ambitions of our major cities.
鈥淏y teaming up with Uber in the 海角视频, we have already been able to increase the awareness and adoption of zero-emission vehicles, and we are looking forward to exploring how to roll that out further in Europe.鈥
At the start of this year, Nissan signed a deal to make 2,000 electric cars for Uber. The ride-sharing app has raised more than 拢80m through its Clean Air Plan, with a 15p fee added to all London journeys being used to support the cost of drivers moving to electric vehicles.
Now, Uber will aim to get at least half of miles covered by Uber vehicles in seven European capitals - Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris - to be in electric vehicles. Journeys in those cities represent around 80% of Uber鈥檚 journeys in Europe.
In a separate announcement, Uber said that all of its cars in 海角视频 cities would be electric within the next decade.
Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said: 鈥淯ber is committing to become a fully zero-emission platform by 2040, with 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit or with micromobility.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also setting an earlier goal to have 100% of rides take place in electric vehicles in US, Canadian and European cities by 2030.鈥
Mr Khosrowshahi said the coronavirus pandemic has given people 鈥渁 glimpse of what life could be like with less traffic and cleaner air鈥, but warned that 鈥渃arbon emissions will return to normal soon鈥.
He added: 鈥淚nstead of going back to business as usual, Uber is taking this moment as an opportunity to reduce our environmental impact.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our responsibility as the largest mobility platform in the world to more aggressively tackle the challenge of climate change. We want to do our part to build back better and drive a green recovery in our cities.鈥
The Government has been urged to accelerate the take-up of clean cars, as polling suggested many people are not planning to switch to electric vehicles soon.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is calling on ministers to commit to significant long-term incentives for electric vehicle (EV) purchases and binding targets on charging infrastructure amid concerns over costs and the ability to charge up easily.
