US transport company Uber is currently setting up a fleet of up to 200 hydrogen cars in Berlin. The first automobiles have been giving rides in the German capital since fall 2022, though the Toyota Mirai 2 vehicles were provided not by Uber but by the SafeDriver Group, which is the prime contractor for Germany. The goal of SafeDriver owner Thomas Mohnke is to enable sustainable mobility before cities ban the entry of diesel vehicles to downtown areas.
Mohnke, who has been in the limousine business for 45 years, told H2-international that Uber doesn’t have any of its own vehicles; it merely brings drivers and cars together for the purposes of passenger transportation. “My role is to make recommendations rather than to instruct our subcontractors,” explained the SafeDriver owner. He continued, saying that he has his own fleet of 150 vehicles, 40 of which are hydrogen cars.
Mohnke fully backs hydrogen as battery electric operation is “not really ideal” for shift work. In his opinion, fuel cell cars are “excellent,” especially because of their short refueling times. He revealed that for early 2023 a separate ordering function will be integrated into the Uber app that will enable customers to explicitly request a hydrogen car.