Uber's Head of Sustainability Police Adam Gromis looks back on how the company has conducted various efforts throughout 2021 to meet its zero-emissions pledge Uber announced in September 2020.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi composed an article in September 2020 titled "Driving A Green Recovery." The article states the company's commitment to becoming fully zero-emissions by 2040 through "100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit, or with micromobility." Khosrowshahi said the hope is to actually reach the goal by 2030, citing Uber's "responsibility as the largest mobility platform in the world to more aggressively tackle the challenge of climate change." He further explained that the company would commit $800 million in resources to help hundreds of thousands of drivers with the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025.
"While we’ve taken some important steps in recent years, from expanding micromobility options to offering public transit in the Uber app, we know we’ve got a long way to go," Khosrowshahi stated in the article he produced in 2020 about the company's new initiative. "That’s why we’re working with the World Resources Institute (WRI), Transport & Environment (T&E), and others to become a stronger partner in the fight against climate change by leveraging our innovation, technology, and talent to expedite the global transition to clean energy."
Khosrowshahi stated a four key action plan in taking a holistic approach to reach this goal. The key actions included the launch and expansion of Uber Green in more than 15 U.S. and Canadian cities; the $800 million commitment of resources to transition drivers to EVs in the U.S., Canada and Europe; investing in Uber's multimodal network and being transparent and accountable as a company by releasing its Climate Assessment and Performance Report.
"As we reflect on 2021, we’ve taken some steps forward and we’ve learned a lot, but there is still much more work to be done," Gromis wrote.
"Uber's Race to Zero Emissions" specified the different steps carried out in 2021 in working towards the 2040 zero-emissions goal. Gromis states that Uber expanded support for drivers in the transition to EVs through educational programs, driver webinars and events, awareness campaigns. Uber also created an EV cost calculator, developed incentives for drivers and developed partnerships with Hertz and Tesla UK.
"We provided data to support the World Resources Institute’s study that examines the barriers that prevent drivers from accessing EVs and opportunities for governments, companies, utilities, charging operators and others to expand access to affordable, convenient charging, especially for low-income communities," Gromis stated.
Uber released its second annual Climate Assessment and Performance Report to follow up on the report done in 2020 that Khosrowshahi stated was to allow Uber to be transparent and accountable for its role in climate-related matters. Gromis writes that the study found "there were 4.9 million ZEV trips completed via Uber in the first half of 2021 alone, across Europe, Canada, and the US" and drivers in Europe "are switching to electric vehicles (EVs) nearly 5 times faster than in the mass market."
"The shift from traditional vehicles with an internal combustion engine to electric vehicles will be essential to reduce emissions in the transportation sector," according to the World Resources Institute. "Since traditional vehicles emit greenhouse gases with each mile they drive, governments can increase the climate benefits of their electrification policies by focusing on more intensively used, high-mileage vehicles, such as transit, freight and ride-hailing."
One issue for drivers in transitioning to EVs the WRI research claims is that "both the up-front cost and total cost of ownership are generally higher for EVs than for traditional vehicles," which creates a barrier.
"Electric ride-hailing can promote accelerated EV adoption down the road, as ride-hailing vehicles’ distinct charging patterns can support the development of charging infrastructure. It could also increase the adoption of EVs in low-income communities. When combined with other climate and transportation actions, electrifying ride-hailing platforms can prove a powerful asset in achieving equitable, low-emissions mobility," the World Resources Institute article covering the research findings concluded.