Uber Technologies is announcing today that customers in 14 new cities in the United States and Canada will be able to book a ride in an electric-powered vehicle as part of the firm’s ongoing effort to become a net-zero emitter.
For the US, some of the cities that will now be served by Uber’s EVs include Atlanta, Boston, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, and Houston. Meanwhile, as for Canada, customers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal will also be able to book an EV ride.
In addition, Uber announced a discount of up to 25% for users who request a ride in one of the firm’s premium EVs from 11 to 30 April in celebration of Earth Month by using the code GOELECTRIC.
The San Francisco-based ride-hailing and delivery giant is also supporting car-free rides. The current options available include renting an e-Bike or scooter from Lime, an alternative that is available in over 55 markets, or use public transportation with Uber’s help.
More EVs Will Help Uber Reach its Ambitious 2030 Zero-Emission Pledge
This amplified coverage should allow Uber to expand the percentage of miles covered by ZEVs with respect to the company’s total. Thus far, only 4.1% of Uber’s miles in Q3 2022 in the US and Canada were transited by ZEVs.
Meanwhile, a total of 37,700 Uber drivers in the US, Canada, and Europe have opted for a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) as of the third quarter of 2022. This number is nearly three times higher than the one reported for the same period the year before. Meanwhile, 19.4 million trips using ZEVs have been completed thus far.
One of the major barriers to influencing drivers to go take the EV road is the limited charging infrastructure available in some of Uber’s markets. In addition, the majority of drivers say that EVs are more expensive than regular cars while many of them were not aware of any financing alternatives for purchasing these vehicles.
In response to these concerns, Uber partnered with multiple EV manufacturers to offer its drivers discounts, financing options, and other alternatives such as leasing and renting so they can transition to an electric-powered unit.
Moreover, Uber recently partnered with Hertz to make up to 50,000 Tesla Model 3s available to US drivers for leasing. The agreement was announced in October 2021 and, as of June 2022, 15,000 drivers have already rented a Tesla (TSLA).
More Charging Stations are Needed to Keep Moving Forward
Some other incentives Uber has offered to get drivers to make the switch include offering $1 for every trip completed with an EV up to a maximum amount of $4,000. The company also partnered with Truecar to offer perks to its drivers such as discounted auto repairs and other perks that can result in benefits worth over $2,000.
Uber (UBER) has also earmarked $800 million to help drivers transition to EVs by 2024. This is part of the firm’s early goal to use these vehicles for 100% of the rides offered in the US, Canada, and Europe by 2030 – ten years before the company’s deadline to turn its business into a net-zero emitter.
“The world is at a critical juncture, and we all have a role to play. Uber is aiming high. We’ll seek to build the most efficient, decarbonized, and multimodal platform in the world for on-demand mobility”, the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi emphasized in a blog post published more than two years ago when it announced these initiatives.
To tackle the issue of the charging infrastructure, Uber sent a letter to the US Department of Transportation to demand an increase in the investments made to increase the affordability of fast-charging devices and foster more access to charging stations in low-income urban neighborhoods.
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