Source: News24
Uber SA has announced its first electric mobility offering at its 10th-anniversary event in Johannesburg this week.
Its Uber package fleet will go all-electric, first in Cape Town in 2023, followed by Johannesburg in 2024, in a bid towards a global target to become a zero-emission platform by 2040.
The company said Cape Town would be the first city globally to have a fully electric package delivery fleet, with 100 bikes available at launch.
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There will be two types of electric bikes in the fleet from Valternative Energy: the V1 with 1.5kW of power, up to 90km of range, and a top speed of 55km/h; and the V1 Max with 4.0kW of power, up to 110km of range, and a top speed of 95km/h.
Kagiso Khaole, general manager of Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, says all-electric means zero tailpipe emissions and low noise.
Khaole explains that the smart technology being used uses swappable batteries that are accessed at swapping stations: “The bikes do not charge, they swap. We can do a battery swap in less than 60 seconds.”
Uber SA demonstrated the swapping station process on stage, which looks like a delivery locker. It requires a quick scan from a mobile device, as drivers are already on the system before a new battery pops out.
The swapping stations address real issues that drivers and couriers will experience when trying to switch to traditional charging, such as range anxiety and time being wasted as a courier, explains Khaole.
“The bikes go up to a maximum of 90km/h, so even on the busiest day, you only need to swap once, maybe twice,” he says.
The all-electric Uber package offering will launch first in Cape Town in December 2023. Uber says it has already set up alternative charging stations around Cape Town within a geo-fence where the service will be offered.
Sign-ups for new drivers have opened up for Cape Town on Uber package, where full training will be provided, he added. Uber plans to launch with a minimum of 100 bikes in Johannesburg in the first half of 2024.
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Source: News24
