Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Tuesday revealed that the business is revamping its platform with new sustainability-minded features, including a “EV preference” that will let consumers select for fully electric vehicles by default, anytime they hail a trip.
TakeAway Points:
- Uber is bringing new environmentally conscious features to its platform, such as an “EV preference” function that will allow users to select 100% electric cars anytime they take a ride.
- In two significant U.S. markets, New York City and Los Angeles, the company is expanding Uber Eats’ delivery options to include farmers’ market food.
- Uber is launching the “EV Mentor” programme for drivers, along with ChatGPT, an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI, to address enquiries from drivers on the ride-hailing network regarding the requirements for purchasing and operating a battery-electric car as opposed to a gas-powered vehicle.
EV Preference
The company previously launched an “Uber Green” service, which has historically included a mix of battery-electric vehicles, and hybrid electric models. Now, Uber can offer battery-electric vehicles as the sole “green” option in more than 40 cities globally, executives said at Uber’s annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London on Tuesday.
Speaking at the conference, Khosrowshahi said that the company’s rollout of new sustainability-focused features arrives ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, adding this is a time when the topic of EVs has become a “politically charged issue.”
However, he noted that the overall trend is moving toward all-electric mobility options.
“The reality is that we will only reach net-zero emission goals if policymakers and other businesses do their part as well,” Khosrowshahi said at the event.
“We need more affordable EVs, we need stronger EV mandates, and we need incentives for people who are driving the most. We want to make sure that chargers are available in every community, not just the wealthiest. So we all need to step up,” he said.
AI chatbot for EV-curious drivers
For drivers, Uber said it is rolling out an “EV Mentor” program, which connects drivers for any questions about electric mobility. The company also debuted an artificial intelligence chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, looking to answer questions for drivers on the ride-hail network about what it takes to buy and use a battery-electric vehicle instead of a gas-burning vehicle.
Transportation has been responsible for about 25% of carbon emissions from human activity globally, according to estimates by the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation. Carbon emissions, and other greenhouse gases from human activity cause long-term shifts in temperatures and weather while also contributing to respiratory disease by forming smog and air pollution.
Ride-hailing services like Uber’s can contribute to traffic congestion and, therefore, pollution, according to analysis by Suvrat Dhanorkar, Gordon Burtch, and others published in the peer-reviewed journal Transportation Science. Uber has been 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 produce to Uber Eats offerings in two major U.S. markets: New York City and Los Angeles.
Uber said it will also be investing nearly $1 million to enable restaurants in Paris that sell meals via Uber Eats to switch to more sustainable packaging, such as seaweed-based packaging from NotPLA, bags made of foliage by Releaf, and straws made of agricultural sugar residuals from IAmPlasticFree.
The deal will give Uber drivers the ability to access Octopus’ “Intelligent Go” tariff to help them with EV charging costs. Drivers will also be able to get 8% off at public charging systems across Octopus’ Electroverse network.
“This is the first partnership between Uber, a power company and an EV manufacturer, and it will meaningfully reduce charging costs for drivers,” Rebecca Tinucci, Uber’s head of global sustainability, said at the London event Tuesday. Tinucci was formerly senior director of charging infrastructure at Tesla.
