Uber to Exclusively Offer Electric Vehicles by 2030

Ride-sharing platform Uber set a major goal of only offering electric vehicles in its fleet by 2030. According to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, this means drivers without electric cars will not be allowed to use the platform.

"We have a target to be fully electric in the U.S., Canada, and Europe," Khosrowshahi told CBS reporter Ben Tracy.

Although we’re still a few years from that deadline, Uber is already finding ways to make it easier for its users to request a ride in an electric vehicle with its Comfort Electric service. Previously this service was only offered to users in California, but Uber recently expanded it to include 24 cities throughout the United States and in Vancouver, Canada.  

Comfort Electric differentiates itself from the existing Uber Green service by only hosting fully electric vehicles on the ride-sharing app, while the latter offers EVs and hybrid vehicles. The Comfort Electric option is still a bit pricier than a standard Uber, but Uber says the prices will drop once more EV drivers start using the app.

"The more electric cars we have in a particular market, the more the waiting time comes down and pricing can come down as well," Khosrowshahi stated.

There's no denying mass transit is more sustainable than cars, but ride-sharing platforms like Uber reduce the individual need and dependency on car ownership. Until cities are redesigned and mass transit becomes more equitable and accessible for all, every step counts.

Uber currently has approximately 25,000 EVs in its network, but it plans to double its EV presence to 50,000 vehicles by next year. According to the company, "EV drivers active on the Uber platform have avoided using over 5.7 million gallons of gasoline" in 2022 alone.

To reach its goal of becoming a zero-emissions platform in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, Uber committed $800 million to help drivers transition to fully electric vehicles by 2025. The timing also coincides with a California mandate that will require all ride-hailing services to be fully electric by 2030.

Uber is also spurring EV adoption and trying to reduce its carbon fiber footprint now. It’s already started giving drivers a dollar for every EV trip they take and even helping cover some of the charging costs. Uber has also partnered with Hertz to let drivers rent Tesla EVs on a weekly or monthly basis. Last year Hertz placed an order for 100,000 Tesla electric vehicles and it announced shortly after that up to 50,000 of those EVs would be available for Uber drivers to rent.

The Uber and Hertz partnership is available in several cities across North America, including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore-Maryland, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, NYC suburbs, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Vancouver, Canada, and Washington, DC.

For users that prefer to use Lyft instead of Uber, Lyft has also committed to having all of its vehicles be EVs by 2030 as well.