Kia to supply electric vehicles to European Uber drivers

Kia, Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Wednesday it has partnered with U.S. ride-hailing company Uber Technologies to supply its electric vehicles in Europe.

The strategic partnership is aimed at promoting the adoption of EVs and the expansion of the EV charging infrastructure in major European cities, Kia said in a statement.

Kia will provide the Niro and other electrified models to Uber drivers at discounted prices in 20 European countries, the statement said.

The partnership is in line with Uber's plan to operate more than 100,000 electric vehicles in Europe by 2025 and become a zero-emission mobility platform by 2030.

Uber aims to have 50 percent of the total aggregated kilometers of Uber rides across seven European capital cities — Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris — be driven by EVs by 2025, the statement said.

Kia aims to launch 11 all-electric models by 2026 and sell 880,000 pure electric cars in 2030.

In April, its bigger affiliate Hyundai Motor Co. already partnered with Uber to supply thousands of Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric models to Europe-based Uber drivers.

Hyundai and Kia together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

Yonhap