Uber signs deal for drivers to lease BYD electric cars

PHOTO BY RAMON RIVERA

CHINESE AUTOMAKER'S PURE-ELECTRIC STATION WAGON PART OF UBER PROGRAM IN CHICAGO

Uber, an app-based crowd-sourced car sharing service has reached a deal with Chinese automaker BYD to allow its drivers to test a fleet of electric cars, Reuters reports. The pilot program, which uses the BYD e6 station wagon, launched in Chicago several weeks ago and is aimed at helping Uber drivers buy or lease new cars.

The BYD e6 cars themselves are offered through the Chicago-based car dealership Green Wheels USA. One of the programs extended to Uber drivers offers the use of a e6 for a week of driving shifts for $200.

So far 25 examples of the BYD e6, a pure electric with a manufacturer-claimed range of 186 miles on a full charge, are taking part in the program. But there are plans to increase that number to a couple of hundred cars by the end of 2015. The deal with Uber follows several other tie-ups with taxi companies in Europe and other regions, with BYD currently providing cars to at least one chauffeur service in London and Santiago, Chile.

PHOTO BY RAMON RIVERA

Reuters reports that Uber hasn't stated why it has picked the BYD e6 over other electric cars, though it is worth noting that other obvious candidates -- the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf -- are too small or too expensive for Uber drivers' purposes.

BYD, which stands for "Build Your Dream" has tried to gain a foothold in the U.S. since 2009. But its efforts, according to Reuters, have been confined mainly to public transportation in the form of electric buses which are much more common in Asian capitals than they are in North America.