UfoDrive has announced today its plans to expand electric vehicle (EV) rental operations to the United States, following rapid growth in 18 cities across Europe including London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Dublin.

The first North American UfoDrive location has launched in San Francisco to be followed quickly by further new locations across Europe and the United States. 

UforDrive is also announcing the opening of a global tech hub and innovation centre in Dublin later this month. 

The hub will serve as focal point for further development of their unique electric rental platform and help UforDrive unlock more of the features that make EV rental the best product on the market, it says. 

Aidan McClean, CEO and co-founder of UforDrive, explained: “In only a few years we’ve helped customers drive 15 million fully electric miles.

“Behind the scenes we try to solve every anxiety and make the enhanced electric driving experience a reality for our customers.

“Our customers love the UforDrive experience, and that success has allowed us to accelerate plans to reach North America and open the tech hub and innovation centre in Ireland. 

“Those are big steps towards helping accelerate the transition to sustainable rental and introduce more and more people to the joy of driving electric.”

Renaud Marquet, COO and co-founder of UfoDrive, added: “We’ve only just begun to expose the capabilities of EV platforms and utilise them to deliver a new level of rental experience for our customers.

“There is so much more we can do to wow customers and drive operating efficiency. Being live in the US and now have a Hub to develop these features means we can stay well ahead everyone.”

To accelerate its North American expansion, UfoDrive is partnering with Inspiration Fleet, the first EV-only fleet management company (eFMC).

"Our strategic acquisition and financing partnership will allow UfoDrive to scale nationwide at pace,” said Josh Green, Founder and CEO of Inspiration Mobility. 

“Together, we will supercharge the transition to sustainable mobility in the rental market and beyond.”

UfoDrive San Francisco is now open in the heart of downtown San Francisco, with a full EV fleet set to be active by the end of August, and additional expansion to other US cities planned for autumn.