Uber recently announced it would start a new electrification program in Tokyo, Japan. The program would be part of its Premium lineup, supplying 100 Tesla Model Y crossovers for the city.
By this November, Uber says it will have thirty Model Ys out on the road in the Edogawa, Adachi, and Setagaya Wards of Japan's capital. Taxi company Hinomaru Kotsu will also work with Uber to deploy its vehicles and provide charging stations. By the end of 2024, all one hundred Uber Model Ys will be driving around the streets of Tokyo.
"We are also focusing on taxi and hire businesses, mainly in North America, and we are very pleased to be able to realize an initiative of 100 cars in Japan. We believe that Tesla's vehicles have great benefits not only for customers' safe movement but also for drivers and business owners. We will continue to experience the charm of Tesla, and we will expand it widely throughout Japan, regardless of corporations or individuals," Tesla Japan Country Manager Ryokusai Inoue said in a translated press release.
Uber's translated press release wrote that the company selected the Model Ys due to their "cruising range, driving performance, quietness, and premium interior and exterior." As a testament to Uber's claims, the Tesla Model Y is currently the second-best-selling EV in the United States.
The vehicles will be available via a special menu on the app, allowing customers to specifically select the electric crossover as opposed to a different vehicle.
