“Rideshare giant Uber is committing $800 million over the next five years to help its drivers switch from gasoline to electric vehicles by 2025 and promises to become a zero-emissions mobility platform in the decades to come.
In addition to the vehicle purchase assistance, which applies to drivers in the U.S., Canada and Europe, the company also plans to pay higher rates per trip to drivers who use battery-electric cars and hybrids and is arranging for discounted charging rates with major EV charging networks in the U.S. and Europe. The company says its goal is for all rides taken using its platform to be zero-emission by 2040.
‘We’re committing to work with cities to build back better together, tackle the climate crisis more aggressively than ever before,’ CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a conference call Monday. ‘As our communities recover from COVID-19, we can rebuild them for people, not cars, we can add more green spaces and fewer parking spaces. We can envision a world where there are fewer fires, engulfing our homes, fewer hurricanes, displacing our neighbors, fewer natural disasters and cleaner air for everybody.’
The company’s program comes as it and rival rideshare operator Lyft draw more scrutiny for the impact the services have on local air pollution and congestion. In June, Lyft said it wanted all vehicles on its network to be electric by 2030, though at the time didn’t detail how much it planned to spend to make that happen. Uber’s program goes beyond EVs to include new initiatives to work with local transit agencies and expand micromobility options, including shared scooters and bikes.
Riders using Uber’s app will see an enhanced version of the Uber Green option to request low-emission vehicles, which include hybrids as well as battery-only models. To encourage more people to make that choice, they’ll receive triple the standard rate of reward points from Uber.”
View the whole story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2020/09/08/uber-spending-800-million-for-drivers-to-buy-evs-to-meet-zero-emissions-mobility-goal/