Uber Will Pay Drivers $4,000 To Switch To EVs (theverge.com) 66
An anonymous reader shares a report: As it rushes to meet its pledge for "100 percent" of trips in electric vehicles by 2030, Uber is offering grants of $4,000 for drivers to swap their gas-guzzlers for zero-tailpipe emission vehicles. The company is also dropping its "Uber Green" branding in favor of the more simple "Uber Electric."
Uber has said it will be completely carbon neutral in North America and Europe by 2030 and in all global markets by 2040. But when it first announced this pledge in 2020, it said it wouldn't directly pay drivers to ditch their gas-burning vehicles in favor of EVs. Now, the company is reversing that decision in the hopes that direct payments can help accelerate EV adoption.
Uber has said it will be completely carbon neutral in North America and Europe by 2030 and in all global markets by 2040. But when it first announced this pledge in 2020, it said it wouldn't directly pay drivers to ditch their gas-burning vehicles in favor of EVs. Now, the company is reversing that decision in the hopes that direct payments can help accelerate EV adoption.
Clean air is good (Score:3)
Re: Clean air is good (Score:3, Insightful)
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You do know, it's not an instant thing, right? It'll take hundreds of years for whatever trees are left in the world to process all the CO2 and crap.
Then, of course there's that little 'demand is higher than available' power thing... solar only works when it's sunny, you can store the excess in batteries (what excess?),et cetera. And, you'd need a lot of PV panels to meet the demand, or a lot of wind turbines... maybe put the money that would go into those towards getting fusion working (Tony's ARC reacto
Re: Clean air is good (Score:2)
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Why is Uber putting money into EVs than some other technology that could prove of greater benefit to air quality or CO2 emissions? Because they believe the business of offering transportation by EV would be more attractive, more profitable, more visible, and so on. They want their "brand" to be that they are the cleaner option for transportation even if they are not the lowest cost option.
This is a plan to offer what people want. Some people would prefer to not be seen in a vehicle that burns fossil fuel
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How exactly what I describe here is a Troll, when I am actually sharing my experience as a user of a technology? I luterally feel nauseous (wanting to vomit) when riding as a passenger in a Tesla. Rarely happens in an ICE vehicle, happens in electric vehicles, especially Teslas. No matter how much I get moderated as a Troll, doesn't change what I end up feeling as an EV passenger. There is something about the way these things ride, it makes me want to vomit.
How about a loan? (Score:3)
Re: How about a loan? (Score:4, Interesting)
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Where's the $4,000 coming from?
It's coming from the extra $1 the riders pay for "Uber Green" than the usual service. At least that's what I picked up from the fine article. It's a marketing gimmick. If it works for Uber, the customers, and the people they hire as drivers then this marketing doesn't bother me any.
It appears to be people are concerned enough about the federal EV subsidies going away that they are looking for ways to replace that with their own efforts in private business. I would have preferred they did this from the b
Re:How about a loan? (Score:5, Insightful)
uber owning the car = more liability for them (Score:2)
uber owning the car = more liability for them
I love EVs, but (Score:3)
Uber should not be trusted
The moment self-driving cars are ready, Uber will get rid of all human drivers
It's a short-term gig that pays increasingly poorly
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When that happens those people don't have anywhere else to go. Even if you want to pretend they're a magically more jobs being created, which mathematically there aren't, the people at the bottom there driving taxis aren't going to be able to get those jobs. If they could they wouldn't be driving taxis.
There is a small handful of people obsessed with working for themselves that kid
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Assuming this isn't your usual doppelganger troll and you're just posting AC to avoid burning karma, do you realize how incredibly unhinged you sound? Your previous post is about how our society is going to come apart at the seams with roving bands of Mad Max bandits, and then you're suggesting that we all come together, sing Kumbaya, and build some sort of urban utopia - the same people you're suggesting are champing at the bit to start shooting at each other.
This [x.com] is your urban utopia, complete with a far
Nope it's not me (Score:2)
If there is anyone left on this website that isn't a bot just Google tire particulate pollution. You can read the studies yourself.
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Welp, your LLM doppelganger is getting better. It fooled me this time.
I strongly doubt anyone has actually bothered with making actual bots for /. Most likely, that's a real person with too much free time who is copying and pasting their LLM output. They're probably doing it because you've managed to get under their skin enough, which I guess could be something of a badge of honor? Of course, these days you really haven't made it in the "internet famous" department until Trump posts an AI video where yo
Re: And also EVs don't even help climate change (Score:2)
Los Angeles had a serious smog problem back in the day. I'm just old enough to remember flying in and seeing the "cloud" over the city being downright apocalyptic.
They still have a ways to go, but it's vastly better now than it was in the 70s/early 80s.
And yet, they have far more cars there today than they had back then.
Tire wear might be a factor, even a big factor, but combustion exhaust control can still make a big difference.
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But they're there and you are definitely breathing them in. And I don't think it should take an in-depth study to figure out that that's bad. The only real question is how bad.
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My family lived (1960s) inland from Los Angeles. On car trips to the beach, our eyes would start burning as we entered Los Angeles proper. We took a vacation trip to Hawaii. Amidst the excitement of my first jet flight (707), I noted a distinct brown band in the coastal clouds that we were climbing through.
Years later, in Vietnam turmoil and the rise of an ecology consciousness movement, and calls for "significant, meaningful, and relevant" education, my UCLA freshman chemistry professor (the late Dr. Mari
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I bet the same was said about stable hands.
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Uber will get rid of all human drivers
Perhaps. But Uber will have to build out its fleet of autonomous vehicles. That's a big capital investment. That they are dropping $4000 per vehicle into the existing drivers hands seems to indicate that they don't yet have a better place to invest it. Like their own equipment.
And keep in mind that the original Uber model was an app that leveraged driver-owned cars. Dump all those drivers back onto the market and some smart developers (probably Vibe coded) will build a new app for them.
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That's assuming Uber. Tesla is preparing the assembly lines now for the CyberCab, and they could be putting them out at thousands a week by the end of next year. There's a lot to be said for the theory that self driving cars won't be able to handle all weather and all weird roads, but from what I've seen, those are issues that may delay but not stop the self-driving takeover.
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Tesla is always late with its promises. They are mostly hype to support the meme stock.
I wouldn't hold your breath.
Tesla is still stuck at Level 2 driving and frequently gets into problems.
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And, why shouldn't they? Better for them, better for the passengers. Win-win.
I doubt you're completely correct, though. If there's a market for it, they'll just have a different tier of vehicle, driven by humans, for riders that want such a thing. "Uber-H", or something.
Re:I love EVs, but (Score:4, Funny)
Well, if you're gonna insist on having Uber with an actual person involved branded as the superior service for the elites you've really got no choice but to call it Ubermensch now do you?
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I've been predicting that the drivers were training the system to be run entirely on EVs for at least the past decade.
People kept telling to me to shut up.
Wish I'd made bets lol.
Re:I love EVs, but (self-driving) (Score:2)
And Uber drivers are just one group about to be eliminated by technology. The same self-driving will also eliminate tons of truck drivers, though that will probably hold off until people are more used to the idea of self-driving cars on the road. (I would give it one to three years delay.)
We're in for some interesting times.
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Uber should not be trusted
The moment self-driving cars are ready, Uber will get rid of all human drivers
It's a short-term gig that pays increasingly poorly
Or maybe they will add "Uber Human" or whatever to their options for those that prefer a human driver than a vehicle that drives itself. There would be an added fee for this as it costs Uber more.
There's been a number of attempts for Uber and similar services to add fees for the purpose of meeting consumer preferences. It would be like going to a restaurant that offers chicken that can be dark meat, white meat, "halfsies", or "chef's choice" with the prices based on which costs more and what people are wi
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Ha, "Tesla derangement syndrome". Is that where people realize that Musk is an awful human being and choose to spend their money with someone else?
Fortunately no one needs Tesla to buy a good electric car nowadays. Musk squandered Tesla's lead going into politics, outside of selling one ugly as shit truck they aren't anything special anymore.
Re: Energy is an eco-system (Score:2)
Yup, pretty much this. Tesla has no advantage anymore, and Musk squandered their first mover and positive public opinion. I'll buy just about any EV but a Tesla when buying a Tesla gets you nothing special anyway, but puts money in that shitbird's pocket.
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I miss when we didn't know Musk was a piece of shit and Tesla was the one competent outlier in an otherwise incompetent US auto industry.
At least with it being both though I don't have to weigh moral qualms against product value. Modern Tesla doesn't make the cut for either.
Given the economics, it might not help much (Score:5, Interesting)
Consider the cost of a new EV, and the insurance, the end of the federal EV incentive program this year and what an Uber driver makes these days, and it may not be enough of an incentive. Certainly, Uber trips are probably an ideal case for electric vehicle use (short trips, lower speeds with stop and go regen braking) but the economics of Uber driving are probably pretty touch and go from the various reports I am reading. (I would like to hear from Uber drivers directly on this matter)
Most Uber and Lyft rides I've taken are in older, well maintained cars. They probably are owned outright or the payment is reasonable. Insuring an older internal combustion car is cheap. Yes, there is a savings in fuel with an EV IF you can charge at home most of the time and you have an EV discount with your provider or you live in an area where electricity is cheap to begin with, but often the other costs can outweigh that. Just looking at the payment and insurance for my wife's (purchased used for around $30k) Tesla, and I am not sure if there is any financial savings in the fuel costs in the end, compared to my high-MPG Mazda3 which is paid for and is cheap to insure, and has had almost no maintenance needed since new, No one who is just getting by is going to do it out of the the kindness of their heart for the environment.
You also have to consider the shelf life of the battery, and amortize the cost of the car over time. A lot of these things don't matter if it's your personal vehicle and you're getting enjoyment out of owning an EV on top of it being useful, but if you're looking at it as a business case that you depend on for your survival, it's a different matter.
Any rideshare drivers here who would like to comment? The above is speculation based on my own experience owning both types of vehicles at the same time, but not as a rideshare driver. I have more questions than answers.
I think this incentive would appeal most to someone who lives in a household with multiple incomes, where the rideshare income is supplementary to another, higher income. Then it would be an incentive for someone who can actually afford to take advantage of it. My three cents.
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Not a rideshare driver, but I do talk to drivers when I ride. Profitability is very location dependent and tips are what makes it work. Turnover is high. People do it for reasons beyond income-- staying busy seems to be a big one. A few drivers do it before their regular work day because they get up early or don't sleep much. One realtor did it to meet potential clients. Painting the group with a single brush is hard. The majority might be in the Bad at Math Club, but just barely.
Not just new EVs... (Score:3)
Consider the cost of a new EV...
According to the article, the offer is $4000 for a new or used EV for drivers in CA, CO, MA, or NYC. In MA there are decent used Model 3 LRs going for $22k. Additionally, MA has an EV rebate program for rideshare drivers. So: $23k-$4k-$2.5k = $15.5k. That's an attractive price, especially if you're a driver in need of replacing your ride soon. It's less than a used Kia K4 of the same age.
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Now do the calculations with a non-swasticar.
Tesla is worst at service of all US automakers, who wants to be chained to them?
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> of their heart for the environment.
Almost no one, in that demographic, yeah. And I think that demographic
(just getting by) is going to include the overwhelming majority of ride-share
drivers, because it doesn't pay well enough to raise someone out of that
demographic, and it's not really a highly regarded "dream" profession that
a person with other means of support would do because they think it's
important (like teaching school o
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Consider the cost of a new EV, and the insurance, the end of the federal EV incentive program this year and what an Uber driver makes these days, and it may not be enough of an incentive.
On this I partially agree as for new cars this is less then the incentive program which they already ignored.
But it might be worth a used EV.
Certainly, Uber trips are probably an ideal case for electric vehicle use (short trips, lower speeds with stop and go regen braking) but the economics of Uber driving are probably pretty touch and go from the various reports I am reading. (I would like to hear from Uber drivers directly on this matter)
Most Uber and Lyft rides I've taken are in older, well maintained cars. They probably are owned outright or the payment is reasonable.
A lot of the ones I've seen are newer leased vehicles.
If their daily mileage can be done on a single charge the fuel savings could add up pretty quick. Otherwise a hybrid is a no-brainer.
Just looking at the payment and insurance for my wife's (purchased used for around $30k) Tesla, and I am not sure if there is any financial savings in the fuel costs in the end,
Tesla's are notoriously expensive to insure, but fuel costs would definitely be lower with at-home charging.
Public chargers? Not so much.
I think this incentive would appeal most to someone who lives in a household with multiple incomes, where the rideshare income is supplementary to another, higher income. Then it would be an incentive for someone who can actually afford to take advantage of it. My three cents.
I'm assuming there's conditions around it. But
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Certainly, Uber trips are probably an ideal case for electric vehicle use (short trips, lower speeds with stop and go regen braking) but the economics of Uber driving are probably pretty touch and go from the various reports I am reading.
If you're trying to put in full days of work anywhere outside of a major metropolitan area, no, an EV won't really cut it. You'll have to stop at a DCFC station at least once per day and that's generally just as expensive as gas on a cost-per-mile basis when compared against the average economy car.
I actually ended up talking to someone once at a charging station who mentioned he was doing Uber. He looked like he was ready to pull his hair out.
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"You'll have to stop at a DCFC station at least once per day "
No, you don't.
Urban drivers (like in NYC or SF) cover 100–140 miles because trips are short and traffic is dense.
Suburban or mixed-area drivers often push 200–250 miles just to get enough rides.
One charge at night is enough.
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Urban drivers (like in NYC or SF) cover 100–140 miles because trips are short and traffic is dense.
I literally wrote "outside of a major metropolitan area", so try to keep up.
Suburban or mixed-area drivers often push 200–250 miles just to get enough rides.
One charge at night is enough.
250 miles is about 3.5 hours of highway driving at 70 MPH. That's also ignoring that at those speeds, you're not going to get the EPA range rating out of an EV. Sure, you might get lucky and have a day where no one wants to be driven to/from BFE and every fare you pick up is right near your last one, but the reality of Uber driving in places that are more spread out (like central FL) is that you're gonna burn through some serious
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mmmm (Score:2)
I doubt this has anything to do with being green, except insofar as it "looks" greener.
More likely this allows them to better gather craptons of model data for their eventually-inevitable self-driving fleet.
Big announcement (Score:2)
Re: Big announcement (Score:2)
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Are EVs suitable for taxis? (Score:2)
I'm a big fan of EVs (own two of them myself), but I'm not sure they would make sense for someone running a rideshare gig?
My IONIQ 5 gets about 260 miles of range according to the sticker, but if I'm gig-driving every day and want to preserve the battery I'm only charging it to 80% and recharging it when it's 20-30%, so that's about 50-60% of range before I have to fuel up somewhere. I don't know how many miles taxis typically drive in a working day... maybe in big cities where you're sitting in lots of tra
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It has to be very location dependent. Here in central FL, I'm convinced there must be hundreds of drivers who have just found a way to get free gas/charging, because absolutely none of the work is profitable (once you factor in fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear) and all but the most crappy jobs get snatched up instantly. If all you get are the awful routes that no one else wanted because they require driving out to BFE and back, yeah, you'll burn through your battery in no time.
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Moving in the wrong direction (Score:2)
I used to pay the small extra surcharge for Uber Green to get an electric vehicle for my trip, but that option disappeared and no "Uber Electric" option replaced it. There is currently no way for me to book an EV, where there was before.
buy a junker (Score:2)
Buy a junker, sign up for uber, get $4k and a nice new EV.