What Is Uber Green and How Does It Work in the USA?
Ride-hailing giant Uber is looking to become completely emission-free by 2040. Their latest initiative is called “Uber Green”, and partners with both drivers and passengers to help Uber reach their goal.
We look at what Uber Green is, and how it could change the future of ridesharing in electric cars.
Timeline
In 2020, Uber announced their commitment to becoming a zero-emission platform. This meant working with drivers and passengers to lower emissions over the coming decades, aiming for zero emissions by 2040.
In 2023, Uber worked with restaurants on Uber Eats assisting with recycled packaging and encouraging drivers on the Uber ridesharing platform to switch to electric from gasoline-powered vehicles.
By 2025, according to Uber 50% of km covered in Europe will be electric.
By 2030, Uber aims to be completely zero-emission in the United States, Canada and select European cities.
By 2040, they’ll be emission-free throughout the globe.
But how will they achieve their green ambitions?
How Will Uber Go Green?
Uber’s mission requires a lot of change, not only culturally in a world dependent on oil. But also structurally, with charging stations in high demand already.
Uber knows it can’t achieve their zero-emission goal alone, so they’re partnered with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), environmental advocacy groups and justice organisations. These partnerships will allow Uber to bring the needed changes to its platform quicker and more efficiently.
Furthermore, Uber is partnered with several vehicle manufacturers, charging station manufacturers and utility companies to ensure customers have plenty of choices to access greener options.
All in all, Uber Green’s pot is a whopping $800 million, all aimed at helping drivers in US, Canada and Europe make the switch to electric by 2025.
How Is Uber Doing So Far?
We’re going to use Uber’s Environmental, Social and Governance report to get an idea of how well Uber is doing in the journey towards zero emissions. Let’s look at their global 2023 figures:
Uber saw a huge rise in the number of trips taken in EVs. Across their ridesharing platform, over 77 million have been in zero-emission vehicles.
Coupled with this, the number of EVs registered with Uber has risen 3.5X year on year. That means there are three times more EVs giving rides than ever before.
Currently, Uber has 45,700 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) active on their platform in North America and Europe.
In 2023, Uber launched Uber Comfort Electric and expanded it to almost 40 cities across the US and Canada. Uber’s green answer to Uber Black, Comfort Electric gives passengers access to premium rides in a ZEV.
Even better, Uber’s survey of drivers (page 41 of their ESG Report linked above) states that up to 72% of EV drivers saw their earnings increase when they switched. While up to 93% of non-electric drivers plan to choose a ZEV as their next car.
What Are the Biggest Barriers to Switching to EV?
To put it simply, cost.
On average, EVs are 10% more expensive than gas-powered vehicles.
According to Uber’s driver survey, 61% of drivers said they believe EVs to be more expensive and a barrier to them switching.
Another significant problem is the charging infrastructure. Currently, there aren’t enough public charging stations to cater for the number of EVs, especially in high-population areas such as New York City. You can check out this article reporting how bad the problem has recently become in the City, even with the TLC cap on new for-hire EV licenses.
How Uber is Helping Drivers Go Green
So how is Uber helping its drivers cross these barriers?
As stated, Uber has partnered with many different manufacturers of vehicles and charging stations, including Hyundai, KIA and Wallbox.
If purchasing an EV is out of budget for now, Hertz is offering rentals on Tesla Model 3s to qualified drivers. Almost 50,000 drivers have already taken the offer, completing over 24 million electric trips so far.
TrueCar is offering cashback (with conditions) on the purchase of an EV, and a weekly membership with Hive gives you unlimited charging.
You can read more about the current offers from Uber partnerships here.
Wallbox is offering Uber drivers their Pulsar Plus all-in-one smart EV charging solution with a $200 saving. Learn more about Wallbox offers here.
Not only this, but you could earn extra money per ride through the Uber Zero Emissions Initiative.
Conclusion
Uber’s ambition to be globally emission-free by 2040 is a massive project. And they themselves admit that these goals may shift because of risks and uncertainties in future.
However, that doesn’t mean that drivers can’t start making smarter choices today where funds are available.
Saying goodbye to fossil fuels and driving electric means less air pollution, and a more environmentally friendly ride for your passengers.
Plus potentially more money in your pocket from Uber Green rides.
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