Arrival to create purpose-built ride-hailing EV for Uber

Uber Technologies and British electric van and bus manufacturer, Arrival, have announced they're co-developing an all-new pure-electric vehicle that will go into production in 2023.

According to both companies, the 'Arrival Car' is being created to be an "affordable, purpose-built electric vehicle for ride-hailing".

Already confirmed to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2023, the new electric Uber car is expected to operate within the UK and across Europe.

It will arrive in time to meet Uber's declaration it will be a fully electric mobility platform by 2025 in London, and across North America and Europe by 2030.

As well as commissioning the new vehicle, Uber says in the meantime it has already raised £135 million ($A245m) to help its current drivers switch to battery-powered cars.

Commenting on the new deal, Uber's European boss Jamie Haywood said: "Our focus is now on encouraging drivers to use this money to help them upgrade to an electric vehicle, and our partnership with Arrival will help us achieve this goal." 

What's missing from the joint announcement that the Arrival-Uber electric car is coming is any mention of whether it will be fully autonomous.

Arrival says the electric car will need to cope with covering up to 50,000km a year, with the vehicle designed to maximise driver comfort, safety and convenience while ensuring passengers enjoy a "premium experience".

The ride-hailing firm has already announced it has ended its pursuit of developing its own driverless tech, following the sale last year of its autonomous vehicle business.

Originally, Uber declared its ambition of replacing human drivers with robotaxis. But like other tech companies it has struggled to develop the technology.

There were accidents involving pedestrians during development, hundreds of millions of dollars sunk into the program and, to top it off, the pandemic saw demand for its service evaporate, forcing Uber to sell off money-losing parts of the business.

As well as its self-driving division, Uber also reportedly sold off its air taxi division.

Back in London where the Uber-Arrival announcement was made, the ride-hail service said it would sign up an additional 20,000 drivers in Britain alone, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, adding to its existing 70,000-strong workforce.

The latest deal with Uber adds to an impressive inbox for the British start-up, with Arrival already announcing it is creating a small van for UPS that's worth up to 10,000 vehicles.

Underpinning both the UPS and Uber vehicle is Arrival's all-new Small Vehicle Platform.