Uber gives users option to only hail full-electric cars, launches AI chatbot for EV-curious drivers

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Tuesday announced that the company is updating its platform with new sustainability-minded features, including an "EV preference" that will let customers opt for fully electric vehicles by default, whenever they hail a ride.

The company previously launched an "Uber Green," service which has historically included a mix of battery-electric vehicles, and hybrid electric models. Now, Uber can offer battery-electric vehicles as the sole "green" option in more than 40 cities globally, executives said at Uber's annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London on Tuesday.

Speaking at the conference, Khosrowshahi said that the company's rollout of new sustainability-focused features arrives ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, adding this is a time when the topic of EVs has become a "politically charged issue."

However, he noted that the overall trend is moving toward all-electric mobility options.

"The reality is that we will only reach or zero emission goals if policymakers and other businesses do their part as well," Khosrowshahi said at the event.

"We need more affordable EVs, we need stronger EV mandates, we need incentives for people who are driving the most. We want to make sure that chargers are available at every community, not just the wealthiest. So we all need to step up," he said.

For drivers, Uber said it is rolling out an "EV Mentor" program, which connects drivers for any questions about electric mobility. The company also debuted an artificial intelligence chatbot powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT, looking to answer questions for drivers on the ride-hail network about what it takes to buy and use a battery-electric vehicle instead of a gas-burning vehicle.

Transportation has been responsible for about 25% of carbon emissions from human activity globally, according to estimates by the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation. Carbon emissions, and other greenhouse gases from human activity, cause long-term shifts in temperatures and weather, while also contributing to respiratory disease by forming smog and air pollution.

Ride-hailing services like Uber's can contribute to traffic congestion and therefore, pollution, according to analysis by Suvrat Dhanorkar, Gordon Burtch and others published in the journal of Transportation Science. Uber has been working to reduce its environmental footprint and looks to become a "zero-emissions platform" by 2040.

On the delivery side of its platform, Uber is adding farmers' market produce to Uber Eats offerings in two major U.S. markets: New York City and Los Angeles.

Uber said it will also be investing nearly $1 million to enable restaurants in Paris that sell meals via Uber Eats to switch to more sustainable packaging, such as seaweed-based packaging from NotPLA, bags made of foliage by Releaf, and straws made of agricultural sugar residuals from IAmPlasticFree.

According to statistics tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, residents in Paris generate more than 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of waste each year. France has implemented laws to reduce this waste, requiring fast-food restaurants to move away from disposable plastic packaging and utensils.

In the U.K., specifically, Uber said it's launched a partnership with British energy supplier Octopus Energy and Chinese EV firm BYD to co-fund 1,000 free home chargers worth almost £1,000 ($1,310) each for drivers in the U.K.

The deal will give Uber drivers the ability to access Octopus' "Intelligent Go" tariff to help them with EV charging costs. Drivers will also be able to get 8% off at public charging systems across Octopus' Electroverse network.

"This is the first partnership between uber a power company and an EV manufacturer and it will meaningfully reduce charging costs for drivers," Rebecca Tinucci, Uber's head of global sustainability, said at the London event Tuesday. Tinucci was formerly senior director of charging infrastructure at Tesla.