On July 4, 2024, Uber was driving on the road in Krakow, Poland.
Noor Photos | Noor Photos | Getty Images
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced on Tuesday that the company is updating its platform with new sustainability features, including “EV Preferences” that will allow customers to select all-electric vehicles by default when taking rides.
The company previously launched the “Uber Green” service, which has historically included pure electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Uber executives said at the annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London on Tuesday that Uber can now offer pure electric vehicles as the only “green” option in more than 40 cities around the world.
Speaking at Uber’s GO-GET Zero event in London, Khosrowshahi said the company would roll out new sustainability-focused features ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, adding that the market for electric vehicles at this time The topic 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 can only achieve zero emissions if policymakers and other businesses also do their part,” Khosrowshahi said at the event.
“We need more affordable electric vehicles, we need stronger electric vehicle mandates, we need incentives for the people who drive the most. We want to make sure every community has access to chargers, not just the wealthiest communities .
For drivers, Uber said it is launching an “EV Mentor” program that can answer any questions drivers have about electric vehicles. The company also launched an artificial intelligence chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, designed to answer questions from drivers on the ride-hailing network about how to buy and use pure electric vehicles instead of gas-powered vehicles.
According to estimates by non-profit organizations, transportation accounts for about 25% of global carbon emissions from human activities. international council on clean transportation. Carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases from human activities contribute to long-term changes in temperature and weather, as well as respiratory diseases through the formation of smog and air pollution.
According to analysis, ride-hailing services like Uber may cause traffic congestion, which in turn causes pollution. Suvra Dhanoka, Gordon Birch Published in the journal Transportation Science. Uber has been committed to reducing its environmental footprint and hopes to become a “zero-emission platform” by 2040.
On the delivery side of its platform, Uber is adding farmers market produce to its Uber Eats offerings in two major U.S. markets: New York City and Los Angeles.
Uber said it will also invest nearly $1 million to help Paris restaurants delivering food through Uber Eats switch to more sustainable packaging, such as seaweed packaging from NotPLA, bags made from leaves from Releaf, and straws made from agricultural sugar. . Residuals of IAmPlasticFree.
According to statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paris resident More than 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of waste are generated annually. France has Implementing laws In order to reduce this waste, fast food restaurants are required to no longer use disposable plastic packaging and tableware.