Uber’s CEO Just Fully Committed to EVS: What Does That Mean for Drivers?
Uber wants a fully electric fleet by 2030 and plans to spend $800 million helping its drivers get EVs.
Rideshare app
Uber
has promised to go a lot greener by the end of the decade beyond their “Uber Green
” option. According to a story from CBS News
, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi want all of the cars in its fleet to be electric by 2030. While many companies are pledging to eliminate gas-powered vehicles from their fleets, Uber’s announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise. Uber’s all-electric pledge would effectively ban owners of hybrid and gas-powered cars from participating as drivers.
Read on with the car ownership experts at Jerry to learn more about what this means for both the company and its drivers.
Uber is saying goodbye to gas
In an interview with CBS News correspondents, Khosrowshahi was candid about the company’s goals.
"We have a target to be fully electric in the U.S., Canada and Europe," said Khosrowshahi, but the company has actually been incentivizing drivers to go electric for some time now.
For an added fee, users of Uber and Uber Eats in select U.S. and Canadian are able to opt for a service called “Uber Green” that connects them with drivers of hybrid and fully-electric vehicles.
There is also a slightly more upscale option, known as “Comfort Electric,” that according to
electrek.com
, sits just above Uber Green, but below Uber Black. Comfort Electric, which was just rolled out nationally in the U.S., connects riders with premium electric vehicles like a Tesla, Polestar, or Ford Mustang Mach-E.
What this means for drivers
In most traditional taxi companies, the car is typically owned by the company and leased out to the driver. In exchange for a lease or rental fee, the companies also typically handle maintenance and some insurance fees.
Rideshare apps like Uber, on the other hand, require drivers to provide their own car. A switch to an all-electric fleet would exclude any drivers of gas-powered cars from participating, but the barrier to EV ownership is still pretty high for most drivers.
The average price for an electric car hovers around $60,000, but Uber plans to spend $800 million over the next 8 years to help close the gap for its drivers.
Current EV drivers get discounted charging rates and earn an extra dollar per trip, and Uber has already
partnered with Hertz
to rent out Tesla cars to its drivers. Drivers can earn more by going green
Driver Mallissa Gilgen has been participating in the program since March and has been making an alleged extra $200 per week by renting out a red Tesla. Gilgen also told CBS news that driving with the rented Tesla has resulted in fewer cancellations and better tips from riders.
Uber has set a goal to double its EV fleet to 60,000 vehicles by next year. If Uber plans to go fully electric, it’s likely that more drivers will opt to participate in the EV rental program.
While Uber initially found success by setting itself apart from the traditional taxi company, programs like the partnership with Hertz where drivers rent their cars from Uber does seem to resemble the typical taxi business model more and more.
If you’re considering driving for Uber, you’ll want to add
rideshare insurance
to your personal policy to keep you covered while you work. To get the best price on quotes, go to
Jerry
. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the free Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and even cancels your old policy for you.
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