March 16, 2015—Uber has cut a deal with Chinese automaker BYD to provide a fleet of electric cars to its rideshare service, according to Reuters.
Currently, about 25 electric BYD e6 vehicles are making a test run for Uber in Chicago, and the rideshare service is hoping to increase that number to over 100 by the end of the year.
The vehicle reportedly has a range of 186 miles when fully charged, and Uber drivers are expected to pay a premium of about $200 a week to BYD for the rights to use the car.
Currently, the e6 is only available in limited numbers around the U.S. and Canada, and BYD is best known to Americans as providing fleets of electric buses to California’s public transit system. Uber would not comment why it chose a widely-unknown Chinese automaker to lead its charge into the electric market.
