Uber Expands EV Vehicles, Commits to EV Fleet Only by 2030

• Uber’s Comfort Electric service, which allows customers to request an EV, has grown from operating only in California to 25 cities across North America.
• Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reiterated in an interview with CBS News that she wants all vehicles in Uber’s fleet to be electric by 2030.
• Drivers with gasoline-powered vehicles at that time will be forced to switch to electric vehicles or stop driving for the company.

Uber has expanded its Comfort Electric service from operating only in California to 24 cities across the United States and in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The Comfort Electric service in the app allows users to specifically request electric vehicles instead of traditional gasoline powered vehicles.

The Comfort Electric service separates itself from Uber Green (another electrification effort) by requiring vehicles to be fully electric. Uber Green is less stringent, allowing EVs and hybrids to qualify for the service. Uber specifically chooses Tesla, polish starand Ford Mustang Mach-E as a “premium” electric vehicle available with Comfort Electric.

We checked to see where Comfort Electric was in the pricing options menu for Uber, using weekday trips between two locations in central San Francisco. For this one example, the Comfort Electric option is priced at $26.72, almost $10 more than another EV option, Uber Green, which costs $15.71. Opting for the standard UberX ride is $15.93, while the Uber Black SUV, the most expensive option, costs $48.95 for the same ride.

The company announced in 2020 it would provide $800 million in funding to help drivers make the transition to electrification by the approaching 2025. The funding, along with the expansion of Uber Green and Comfort Electric services, is part of Uber’s goal to transition completely away from internal combustion by 2030. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently confirmed that goal. in an interview with CBS News. According to Khosrowshahi, drivers who have not switched to EVs by 2030 will not be allowed to drive for the company. Drivers who switch, and participate in Comfort Electric’s services will earn an additional $1 per trip, a reduced profit of $4000 per year.

Comfort Electric service will now be available in the following locations: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, suburban NYC, Philadelphia, Portland , Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Saint Louis, Vancouver (Canada), and Washington, DC