Uber aims to go 100% electric by 2040

Uber wants to go fully electric by 2040. The company has pledged $800 (€677) million until 2025 to help its drivers switch to EVs. Uber currently has around 5 million drivers worldwide.

Ambitions are even higher for the US, Canada and Europe, where Uber wants all its vehicles to be zero-emission by 2030 already – an acceleration possible thanks to the regulations and infrastructure already in place in those regions. 

Vehicle discounts
The ride-hailing giant said it would offer discounts on vehicles bought or leased from partnering OEMs to promote the introduction of EVs into its global fleet. Uber already has deals to that effect with GM, and with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. 

Those deals will focus on the US, Canada and Europe. The company is also talking with other OEMs. Part of the pledged sum would also go to discounts for charging, among other initiatives. Uber is also working with global charging providers (including EVgo and BP) to provide discounts and expand the charging network, specifically for the ride-hailing industry. 

And from this week, US and Canadian Uber drivers in fully-electric EV will get $1 extra per trip ($1.5 in big cities) if passengers choose to pay extra to drive ‘green’.

Financial support
Uber’s initiative follows a commitment in June by its competitor Lyft to switch to 100% EVs by 2030. However, Lyft said it would not provide direct financial support to its drivers. Uber for its part said it wants to lower the TCO for its drivers of EVs, which are still more expensive than fossil-fuel vehicles. The company will also periodically release data on its global emission footprint. 

Uber said its US and Canadian passenger trips produce 41% more CO2 per mile than average private car trips – once the distance spent cruising in between passenger rides has been factored in. The commitment of both major ride-hailing companies aims to counter the criticism by environmental activists that ride-hailing in many cases contributes to the twin problems of pollution and congestion, rather than reducing them. 

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