Uber has said that it would take a stake in a French hydrogen taxi company with a goal of having 2,000 models on its reservation platform for business clients within five years.
“This is the first time that Uber has invested in a French company,” it said in a statement, without revealing the amount of its investment in HysetCo, to be made via a loan convertible into shares.
The US ride-hailing giant is pushing into taxi markets worldwide, challenging established players with fleets of clean-energy vehicles or robotaxis capable of autonomous driving.
Around 5,000 taxis serving Paris and the surrounding region are already on Uber’s platform, while HysetCo has around 800 vehicles it leases to business clients, complete with its own hydrogen charging network.
“This partnership with Uber sends a strong signal that hydrogen mobility is ready for large-scale deployment,” HysetCo’s president Loic Voisin said in a statement.
Uber’s director for France, Laureline Serieys, said that “with hydrogen vehicles, we are completing our arsenal of vehicles for zero-emission trips for taxis and taking a new step in our shift to clean mobility”.
