Uber is pledging to eliminate all emissions from every trip booked on its platform globally by 2040.
The ride-hailing company unveiled a series of new targets, committing to spending $800 million by 2025 to help drivers switch to battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs).
By 2030, the company expects all rides in the U.S, Canada, and Europe will take place in EVs, a promise that will be extended around the world by 2040. It also pledged that all electricity used to power those rides would be carbon-free by that year.
Uber acknowledges that achieving their electrification goals rests on factors that they don’t control. It also requires steps by policymakers and other industry participants to spur EV and charging infrastructure deployment.
The move follows the release of Uber’s first-ever environmental impact report, based on data from every single Uber ride taken in the U.S and Canada from 2017-19.
According to the report, emissions per passenger mile had gone down overall, since improved algorithms had reduced passenger-less travel. But based on the average vehicle occupancy rate in the U.S, its emissions per passenger mile still outstripped those of privately owned vehicles.
I don’t see anything related to how Uber will help drivers afford new EV’s. I don’t believe that most drivers will be able to make this change without financial incentives from Uber and power companies.