Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced Tuesday that the company is updating its platform with new sustainability-focused features, including an “EV preference” that will allow customers to choose fully electric vehicles by default whenever they take a ride.
The company previously launched an “Uber Green” service, which has historically featured a mix of battery electric vehicles and hybrid electric models. Uber can now offer battery electric vehicles as the only “green” option in more than 40 cities worldwide, executives said at Uber’s annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London on Tuesday.
Speaking at Uber’s GO-GET Zero event in London, Khosrowshahi said the company’s rollout of new sustainability-focused features arrives ahead of the 2024 US election, adding that this is a time when the issue of EVs has become a “politically charged issue. “
However, he noted that the general trend is moving towards all-electric mobility options.
“The reality is that we will only achieve or reach zero emissions targets if policymakers and other businesses also do their part,” Khosrowshahi said at the event.
“We need more affordable electric vehicles, we need stronger EV mandates, we need incentives for people to drive more. We want to make sure chargers are available in every community, not just the wealthiest. That’s why we all need to step up,” he said. .
For drivers, Uber said it is launching an “EV Mentor” program, which connects drivers with any questions about electric mobility. The company also introduced an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT that tries to answer questions for drivers on the ride-hail network about what it would take to buy and use a battery electric vehicle instead of a battery-powered vehicle. burns natural gas.
Transportation is responsible for about 25% of carbon emissions from human activity worldwide, according to estimates by the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation. Emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases from human activity cause long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns, and also contribute to respiratory diseases by forming smog and air pollution.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber can contribute to traffic congestion and therefore pollution, according to an analysis by Subrat Dhanorkar, Gordon Burts and others published in the journal Transportation Science. Uber is working to reduce its environmental footprint and looks to become a “zero emissions platform” by 2040.
On the delivery side of its platform, Uber is adding farmers market products to its Uber Eats offerings in two major US markets: New York and Los Angeles.
Uber also said it will invest nearly $1 million to enable restaurants in Paris that sell meals through Uber Eats to switch to more sustainable packaging, such as algae-based packaging from NotPLA, leaf bags from Releaf and straws from agricultural suAgar. scraps from IAmPlasticFree.
According to statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), residents in Paris produce more than 400 kg (880 lb) of waste each year. France has applied laws to reduce this waste by requiring fast food restaurants to move away from single-use plastic packaging and utensils.
In the UK, in particular, Uber said it has launched a partnership with UK energy supplier Octopus Energy and Chinese EV company BYD to co-fund 1,000 free home chargers worth nearly £1,000 each for UK drivers
The deal will give Uber drivers access to Octopus’ “Intelligent Go” tariff to help them with EV charging costs. Drivers will also be able to get an 8% discount on public charging systems on Octopus’ Electroverse network.
“This is the first collaboration between uber an electricity company and an EV manufacturer and will significantly reduce charging costs for drivers,” Rebecca Tinucci, Uber’s head of global sustainability, said at the event in London on Tuesday. Tinucci was formerly senior director of charging infrastructure at Tesla.