Charging concerns overtake costs in Uber's electric car push
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For the first time, Uber drivers see charging access as a greater barrier to going electric than vehicle costs, a 13-country survey shows.
Why it matters: Public and residential infrastructure are persistent hurdles for the ride-hailing giant, which is behind on its electric vehicle targets.
- But its annual survey has bright spots, with drivers' concerns about EV prices consistently dropping.
Driving the news: Uber, working with pollster PSB Insights, reached roughly 21,000 drivers in 13 countries in November. There were about 6,400 EV drivers among them.
- 14% of those who own gas-powered cars listed EV prices as their most important reason for not going electric — a huge drop in recent years.
- Losing earning time while dealing with charging now ranks higher, at 18%.
- Those lines crossed in the U.S. two years ago, and the latest survey finds that 24% of non-EV drivers call charging the biggest barrier, while 11% cite cost.
The big picture: "While tech advancements, new models, and partnerships have made EVs more affordable, charging infrastructure hasn't kept up," write Uber policy researchers Rainer Lempert and Irene Arvaniti.
- "For professional drivers, people for whom every minute spent searching for charging is money left on the table, that gap is the difference between switching to an EV or staying put," states their new blog post.
Zoom in: One in three non-EV drivers in the U.S. believe charging would be too difficult. It's 40% in the UK and 39% in Taiwan. Forty-nine percent of U.S. EV drivers want more fast-charging stations.
- "In Europe, less than half of EV drivers from every country surveyed have access to designated overnight charging," it finds.
Threat level: Multiple studies have found that ride-hailing with gasoline-powered cars can boost CO2 emissions, for two main reasons.
- One is that some trips replace walking, biking and mass-transit. The other is miles driven with no passengers, called "deadhead" miles.
- Uber has long offered drivers incentives to obtain EVs, and put options on the app for riders to choose them.
Catch up quick: In February, Uber said it would guarantee minimum usage levels for charging networks like EVgo in exchange for its drivers getting discounts.
- But Uber has said for years that it will take coordinated government policy and corporate efforts to deeply electrify ride-hailing.
State of play: A big goal Uber set in 2020 is for EVs to account for 100% of rides in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2030.
- In May, over 10% of U.S. miles and 19% of European miles driven by Ubers were completed by EVs. But the company faces U.S. headwinds with the recent loss of consumer purchase subsidies.
- "[W]e've not fully met our mobility and delivery goals for 2025 and, based on current trends, our 2030 goals continue to be out of reach without stronger, coordinated action across government and industry," Uber acknowledged in an April update.
- But its drivers are electrifying five times faster than the average motorist in Canada, Europe, and the U.S., it said.
What's next: Uber plans to add new app features in coming months that make it easier for drivers to charge.
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