• Uber and BYD are joining forces to get the ride-hailing firm’s drivers behind the wheel of Chinese EVs.
  • The deal will put 100,00 BYD EVs onto the Uber network in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • The US, which recently introduced harsh duties on imported Chinese EVs, is not a part of the agreement.

Ride-hailing firm Uber and Chinese automaker BYD have struck a deal that will result in thousands of ride-hailing drivers taking the wheel of one of BYD’s EVs.

The tie-up will put 100,000 BYD electric vehicles into Uber’s fleet in countries across the world, but the US is not included in the agreement. Europe and Latin America get their cars first, followed by the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Related: Uber Will Pay You $1,000 To Ditch Your Car For Four Weeks

There was no mention of the US in Uber’s announcement and it’s not hard to see why. In May the Biden Administration elected to ramp up duties on imported Chinese EVs to 102.5 percent. But it’s unclear how Europe’s similar (though less extreme) tariffs – and Canada’s indication that it will soon introduce levies – might affect the deal going forward.

Uber wants all of its cars operating in US, Canadian, and European cities to be zero-emissions battery vehicles by 2030, but the lack of widely available, affordable EVs suitable for ride-hailing work has made meeting that objective look like a big ask.

Earlier this year Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said it was unlikely to hit the target “without stronger action from policymakers and businesses.” The company has previously said that EVs only handled 8.2 percent of Uber ride miles in North America and 9 percent in Europe.

Uber-BYD Deal Will Put Ride-Hail Drivers In Chinese EVs – But Not In The US

This new deal with BYD could help Uber get back on track with discounts potentially available on charging, insurance, maintenance, and finance to help lure existing ride-hail drivers into switching out of their combustion cars and hybrids, Bloomberg reports.

“This collaboration marks a new era in the electrification of urban mobility, and we look forward to seeing our cutting-edge EVs become a common sight on the streets of cities worldwide,” BYD Americas CEO Stella Li said after the announcement.