Uber is hosting its annual Go-Get conference in London today. As part of the event, the company is introducing a number of changes to its ride-hailing and delivery business to reflect the fact that more drivers and couriers are using electric vehicles.
Uber Green, the company's electric and hybrid ride-hailing product, will be fully electric in several select cities. According to Uber, Uber Green is now an all-electric service in 40 cities and states.
Previously, Uber Green offered both electric and hybrid vehicles and offered an additional fee per ride (typically $1) to drivers who used a vehicle with lower emissions. The service will now exclusively offer battery-electric vehicles, reflecting the fact that more drivers than ever are using electric vehicles on the platform. According to Uber, 180,000 drivers currently use electric vehicles in the US, Canada and Europe.
More drivers are using electric vehicles on the platform than ever before
The new electric-only Uber Green is available in 40 cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Orange County, Sacramento, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Internationally, it will be available in all cities in France, including Paris, as well as cities in Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.
Customers who want to drive more environmentally friendly can now adjust their account settings to be automatically matched with an electric vehicle when one is available. Uber designed the feature so that an electric vehicle is on the move when the estimated arrival time is just a few minutes away from a standard UberX. If it takes longer, the algorithm will assign you a gasoline-powered vehicle.
These app optimizations build on changes the company made over the last year to guide its two main customer categories – passengers/delivery customers and drivers/couriers – towards greener choices.
In this way, the company has a better chance of achieving its sustainability goals, which will see the company become fully carbon neutral by 2030 in North America and Europe and by 2040 in all global markets. To this end, Uber announced a partnership with Chinese auto giant BYD last July to bring around 100,000 electric vehicles to Uber drivers, starting in Europe and Latin America.
But drivers still have many questions about switching to electric vehicles. That's why the company is adding a new chatbot to its driver app to help with some more basic questions. The chatbot, based on OpenAI's GPT-4o, is designed to help drivers answer questions such as: B. which model you should buy, where you should charge and how much range is sufficient. The chatbot will hit the market in early 2025, the company says.
Uber also uses its drivers who use electric vehicles as mentors for other people interested in electric vehicles. A new mentoring program is launching through the company's Greenlight Driver Resource Center, allowing electric vehicle drivers to communicate directly with their colleagues who are considering making the switch. Uber drivers who participate are eligible for cash rewards and other bonuses.