Thousands of tennis fans could claim a free trip to the Australian Open this summer as part of a program to get more people into electric cars.
Uber and Kia announced the project on Saturday, aiming to offer more than 20,000 free rides over two weeks in Melbourne using a fleet of 50 electric vehicles.
The announcement comes weeks after a new vehicle efficiency standard came into effect and in a year that is expected to reach milestones in sales of low-emission cars.
It is the second time companies have offered free electric vehicle rides during the Australian Open tennis tournament, with more than 10,000 rides accepted last year.
With a larger electric fleet this year, Uber Australia and New Zealand CEO Emma Foley said the companies planned to increase their reach.
“We hope to be able to double the number of trips and kilometers traveled so that people travel in a truly environmentally friendly way,” he said.
“We are now making more than 25,000 electric trips every day in Australia.”
The project will take place during the Australian Open, from January 12 to 26, and Uber One members traveling to or from the Melbourne tennis venue will get free rides worth $100.
Uber and Kia have partnered to provide up to 20,000 free Uber rides in Melbourne this summer
Rides will be worth up to $100 and are for Uber One members traveling to or from the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
The electric fleet available for the project will be made up of Kia EV6 and EV9 vehicles, Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith said, but more than half the fleet would be EV5 vehicles that were launched just two months ago.
The rides could represent the first experience in an electric vehicle for some passengers, he said, and the automaker plans to take the opportunity seriously.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that the general public has as much experience as possible with electric vehicles,” Meredith told AAP.
Australia New vehicle efficiency standard came into effect on January 1, setting an emissions cap on automakers' fleets and designed to encourage the import and adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles.
The regulations gave brands greater certainty about the future of the auto industry, Meredith said, and encouraging drivers to try the technology would be the next step for many brands.
“It's really important now that there is a path, that there is consistency about what the legislation is and what manufacturers have to do,” he said.
“Now it's up to us to convince the buying public that this is the path we should take.”
Electric car sales grew steadily throughout 2024 to more than 91,000 new vehicles, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council, and accounted for 8.3 percent of the total market in December.