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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.
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.
“You can go from zero battery to one hundred percent faster than you can fill up your fuel tank,” says Khaole.
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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.
Uber Eats announces Uber Live, Uber Direct
At the event, Nakampe Molewa, general manager of Uber Eats Sub-Saharan Africa, announced a new Uber Live offering tied to an event at a stadium, the airport, music festival or concert venue.
Molewa says:
The way we do this is by geofencing the venue so only the restaurants operating in that zone will show up, explains Molewa.
“Whether you’re at a concert, a stadium or the airport, the user experience is the same, as if you are ordering from home.”
Uber Direct, a spin-off from Uber Eats, is a way for partners like KFC and McDonald's to leverage Uber driver deliveries without using the Uber Eats app.
“We understand that sometimes, a customer wants to use the KFC app or the McDonalds app without going through Uber Eats. This product lets us integrate with those partners to make sure we give the same speedy service,” says Molewa.
Uber Live will support same-day deliveries or set times chosen by customers.
Other Uber updates
At its 10-year celebration event, Uber SA also announced a bunch of updates, such as Reserve Airport Pickup for UberX, Uber Comfort and Uber XL.
The airport reserve service launched a few months ago for Uber Black, which lets customers share flight numbers so if there is a delay and subsequent baggage delay while in the air, drivers will get notified.
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The service, which can be scheduled up to 30 days in advance, will be available from November 2023 for Johannesburg (OR Tambo and Lanseria airports) and Cape Town.
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Other updates include Uber Store Pick-Ups for prepaid items to be collected from any store; Uber Van expansion to Cape Town ahead of the 2023 holiday season; and the Uber Black luxury offering for Durban.
Since Uber’s launch in South Africa 10 years ago, it now operates in close to 30 cities, servicing more than 80% of the urban population.
Uber SA shared stats - its most popular destination being OR Tambo airport; the most popular time to request a ride is 2pm; and the most popular day to travel is Friday.
