Uber taps ex-Tesla charging lead as Head of Sustainability

Uber has hired Rebecca Tinucci, former charging infrastructure director at Tesla, to lead its electric transition as Head of Sustainability.

The appointment, first covered by Reuters, was confirmed by Tinucci herself, who said she wasn’t sure where to go next after leaving Tesla in May 2024, until Uber SVP of Mobility Andrew Macdonald approached her.

“Drew Baglino [Tesla’s former SVP of Powertrain and Energy] and the Tesla team were unrelenting in their pursuit of Tesla’s mission. It was incredible. I’m thrilled to have found it again – every person I’ve met at Uber is wicked smart and focused,” she said in a Linkedin post announcing her new role on August 20. 

“Autonomy, electric vehicles, and robotics will reshape our world in the next 20 years and usher in an unprecedented opportunity for a more sustainable future. And Uber sits at the intersection of it all. How’s that for impact?” she added, calling Uber’s sustainability goals “an audacious and important challenge”.

Tinucci will officially join Uber on September 16 to help it meet its goal of electrifying its entire ride and delivery fleet by 2040– with a US$800 million budget to be unlocked by 2025.

Rebecca Tinucci and the expansion of Tesla’s charging infrastructure

Tinucci worked at Tesla for over six years, and is credited with turning the company’s charging infrastructure into the default option for most electric vehicles in North America.

Time Magazine named her as one of the top 100 climate leaders of 2023, the year she “successfully negotiated deals with other EV manufacturers to expand access to Tesla’s charging network across the U.S. to include other major brands such as BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Toyota” – a move that gave Tesla access to new revenue from non-Tesla owners. 

Despite this achievement, Tinucci was one of several senior executives (including Baglino) to leave the company in April and May 2024 as part of a wave of job cuts meant to help Tesla cope with falling sales. ´

CEO Elon Musk said the laying off of more than 10% of Tesla’s workforce was a way “to reorganise and streamline the company for the next phase of growth”.

Uber partnership with BYD

Earlier this month, Uber announced a partnership with Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD to bring 100,000 EVs onto roads in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The collaboration is meant to support Uber drivers in transitioning to electric vehicles – but it will not expand to the US, where President Biden recently raised the tariffs applied to Chinese-made EVs from 27.5% to 102.5% – effectively pricing the likes of BYD out of the US market.