As part of its plan to have an all-electric fleet by 2030, Uber is partnering with Hertz to offer rental Teslas to drivers in select markets starting November 1—and DC is the only one outside of California (Drivers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego will also be able to rent a Model 3 sedan, which retails for between $38,000 and $57,000). The cars will run the drivers $334 a week, including maintenance and insurance. As the program expands, Uber hopes to reduce the price to $299 and lower.
The rideshare company is working towards a goal of having 50,000 Teslas on its platform by 2023, spurred partially by its home state of California’s mandate that 90 percent of rideshare fleets be electric by 2030. While the program is pricey, Uber hopes that the savings in gas costs and maintenance will be enough to make it an appealing option, especially given the country’s rising fuel prices. To sweeten the deal, drivers who use hybrid or electric vehicles get an extra 50 cents per ride, and drivers using battery-electric vehicles get an extra $1.50 per ride. Drivers must have at least a 4.7 star rating and have completed at least 150 trips to take part.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
