At Uber, we’re committed to facilitating reliable transportation for everyone, everywhere and making our cities more efficient and less reliant on personal car ownership. One important part of realizing this vision is increasing electrical vehicle (EV) adoption. Studies by the International Transport Forum, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab found that when shared and electric mobility are properly combined, along with automation, we can shrink the number of vehicles on the road and reduce transportation’s climate footprint.

That’s why we’re excited to launch the EV Champions Initiative, a pilot program for driver-partners to deliver at least 5 million EV rides over the next year. This program kicks off today in seven cities — Austin, Los Angeles, Montreal, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle — in partnership with leading electric vehicle (EV) adoption experts. This program builds off the success of existing pilots in Pittsburgh and Portland and we’re proud to team up with experts who have decades of experience in EV adoption. Together, we hope to better equip both plug-in electric and full battery electric vehicle drivers for success.

Our Partners

Expert NGOs Electric Utilities Academic Researchers

Association des véhicules électriques du Québec

Electric Mobility Canada

Forth

Plug-in America (PIA)

Rocky Mountain Institute

Duquesne Light Company

Portland General Electric

Sacramento Municipal Utility District

UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

As our partner Giovanni Circella, director of the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, shares “EV Champions brings together two of today’s transportation revolutions: clean electric vehicles and shared-use mobility.  We look forward to partnering with Uber to evaluate how the initiative can improve consumer understanding and adoption of EVs.”

Over the last year, we’ve met with hundreds of drivers across the US and Canada who drive   or are interested in driving EVs. While they love not paying for gas and being a part of automotive innovation, they also face challenges in losing fare-earning time to charge their vehicles, accessing adequate fast-charging stations in urban areas, and getting affordable access to higher mileage EVs.

The EV Champions Initiative begins to address these concerns by providing:

  • Access to EV education and resources: Many drivers know about the federal tax credit for EV owners, but there are a myriad of State programs and incentives available as well as local programs provided by utilities and cities that are less widely known. That’s why we’re focused on ensuring EV drivers have the best, most up to date information on all the resources, incentives and programs they can take advantage of in their areas.   In select cities, this pilot provides direct monetary incentives for driving EVs on our network.
  • In-app features built for EV drivers: One of the biggest challenges for EV drivers is “range anxiety”– worrying your vehicle might run out of charge before making it to a suitable EV charging station. That’s why we’re introducing a 30 minute trip notification for drivers so they’ve got an idea of what’s in store on the road ahead before they pick up a rider.
  • Advocacy for shared-use EV drivers: Today’s EV infrastructure and resource programs are designed for private car ownership. To shift the conversation towards shared EVs, we’ve stepping up our advocacy in this space. We’ve joined Veloz – a leading non-profit comprised of public and private organizations dedicated to addressing the needs for EV adoption and the unique needs of rideshare drivers with EVs in California. And in Quebec, EV drivers who use the Uber app  will be offered a free AVEQ membership, which includes opportunities for reduced insurance premium alongside the chance to share their views and advocate for policies that best serve their needs.

Consumers’ lack of awareness about EVs is often a barrier to adopting more electric transportation. That’s why we’re working to make every EV ride requested through  our platform a remarkable experience. From now on, any rider in the United States or Montreal, Canada matched with a driver-partner in an EV will receive an in-app notification. This is a small step towards driving awareness and encouraging conversations between riders and drivers about EVs. In our pilot cities, participating drivers may offer riders in-car materials with basic information on the benefits of EVs and importance of electrification.

We’re excited to continue working with riders, drivers, and cities around the world to facilitate access to more sustainable transportation and work towards  solutions that can improve our lifestyles and our cities.