EVwire Brief: Andrew Cornelia, the CEO for Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging North America since 2023, has announced he will be stepping down from the position at the end of November and will join Uber as Global Head of Electrification & Sustainability
Heiko Schmidt, the VP of Growth of the MB HPC, will step in to take over as the CEO of the Mercedes’ charging network. The Mercedes ultrafast charging network has reached nearly 500 chargers built by now and has lots more in the pipeline.
Context:
The role of the Global Head of Electrification & Sustainability at Uber was recently left vacant as the former Tesla Supercharging executive Rebecca Tinucci started to lead it, and then recently pivoted to become the CEO of Uber Freight (which in turn partnered with Tesla for Semi, funny how things go in circles, isn’t it). Now, the impactful position is filled and Andrew seems to start from December 2025.
We at EVwire.com think this position at Uber is a very, very important one for the EV adoption across the world, given the massive fleet Uber has across the world that should, and eventually will, turn fully electric.
Here’s what Andrew says about his new role:
“The mobility industry is at an inflection point. Two of the most important forces reshaping how people and goods move are electrification and autonomy — not just as technologies, but as core drivers of growth, scale, and stronger economics. These shifts will redefine reliability, safety, operating cost, and the overall end-to-end experience of urban mobility.
Nowhere is the impact more immediate than in ridehail, where high-mileage driving makes EVs not only cleaner, but fundamentally more cost-effective. Today, ridehail drivers on Uber are going electric 5x faster than the general population across the US, Canada & Europe, demonstrating what’s possible when economics and technology align.
And it’s with this early momentum that Uber is uniquely positioned to continue leading the transition to electric and autonomous mobility. With a global platform across Rides, Delivery, and Freight, millions of earners, and unmatched data, Uber can make electrification and autonomy real for cities, drivers, couriers, and consumers — not in theory, but in daily operations.”
Source: Andrew Cornelia on LinkedIn
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