Uber Is Expanding EV Rides, Commits to an EV-Only Fleet by 2030

Uber’s Comfort Electric service, which lets customers request EVs, is expanding from operating solely in California to 25 cities throughout North America. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reaffirmed in an interview with CBS News that he wants all Uber fleet vehicles to be electric by 2030.Drivers with gasoline-powered vehicles at that time will be forced to either switch to an electric vehicle or stop driving for the company.

Uber has expanded its Comfort Electric service from operating solely in California to 24 cities throughout the United States and in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The Comfort Electric service within the app allows users to specifically request electric vehicles over 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 both EVs and hybrids to qualify for the service. Uber specifically singles out Tesla, Polestar, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E as the “premium” electric vehicles available with Comfort Electric.

We checked to see where Comfort Electric sits in the menu of price choices for Uber, using a weekday trip between two locations in central San Francisco. For this one example, the Comfort Electric choice was priced at $26.72, almost $10 more than the other EV choice, Uber Green, which cost $15.71. Opting for a standard UberX ride was $15.93, whereas an Uber Black SUV, the most expensive option, cost $48.95 for the same trip.

The company announced in 2020 it would commit $800 million in funding to help drivers make the transition to electrification by a fast-approaching 2025. The funding, along with the expansion of Uber Green and Comfort Electric services, is part of Uber’s goal of completely transitioning away from internal combustion by 2030. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently affirmed that goal in an interview with CBS News. According to Khosrowshahi, drivers who have not made the switch to an EV by 2030 will not be allowed to drive for the company. Drivers who do make the switch, and participate in the Comfort Electric service will earn an additional $1 per ride, a perk that cuts off at $4000 annually.

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

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