Uber already has green programs in place, but the company wants to take things a step further in order to achieve the zero-emissions goal. The company announced a goal of going fully electric by the end of the decade.
New steps taken recently include expanding Uber Comfort Electric program to an additional 15 US cities, bringing the total number of cities in North America to 25.
Moving forward, the Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently told CBS News that his company aims to be CO2-neutral by 2030. He confirmed that this plan includes not only Uber’s North American operations, but also those in Europe.
“We have a target to be fully electric in the US, Canada, and Europe,” he told the reporter and was then asked whether drivers of gas-powered vehicles will be allowed on the platform after the end of the decade. “No, if we’re doing our job we’re gonna be all-electric” was the answer to that question.
Uber intends to spend approximately $800 million on various incentives to support drivers who wish to transition to electric vehicles earlier than required.
For the time being, the ride-sharing company offers EV charging discounts and pays drivers of battery-powered vehicles an extra dollar for each EV trip they take. In addition, Uber has a partnership with Hertz, and the two companies offer drivers the option of making long-term Tesla leases for Uber services.
Uber currently has approximately 26,000 electric vehicles in its fleet. The goal is to nearly double the number to around 50,000 EVs by next year.