The new program, called the EV Champions Initiative, aligns with an executive order issued by Gov. Jerry Brown this year that calls on California to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles to 5 million by 2030. Uber’s new initiative is set on an ambitious path to accomplish this order-of-magnitude increase in EVs before 2020.
In order to bring such an ambitious effort to fruition Uber will provide incentives for drivers in Los Angeles, as well as 6 other cities: San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Montreal, and Sacramento. The perks for LA drivers of electric vehicles will not be in the form of direct financial benefits, but instead Uber plans to notify drivers of electric vehicle ownership benefits such as rebates and HOV-lane access.
As a part of this pilot program, the company will be rolling out updates to its smartphone apps to provide intelligent insight for managing charges for EV drivers based on the distance and duration of the rides. In order to raise awareness, riders will also be informed that they’ve been paired with environmentally friendly drivers.
As the world progresses towards sustainable transportation initiatives such as this will be necessary to accelerate the acceptance and, more importantly, the adoption of sustainable technologies.