It's Not Price — Charging Hurdles Keep Uber Drivers From Going Electric: Report

Globally, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly affordable, but for many Uber drivers, that’s no longer a major concern. For them, the major stumbling block is vehicle charging, according to an exclusive report by Bloomberg.

For the first time since Uber began surveying its drivers four years ago, the cost of an EV is no longer considered the primary hindrance to adoption in the US and UK. Instead, drivers claim that limited access to charging stations is their biggest concern — especially since many can’t charge at home.
In the US, just 35% of Uber’s EV drivers have a home charger. In the UK, it’s only 27%, and in the Netherlands, just 13%.

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Uber banks on Tesla veteran

Taking note of the drivers' feedback, Uber is looking to resolve this matter. The US ride-hailing major has roped in Rebecca Tinucci — formerly Tesla’s head of charging infrastructure — to lead its electrification push. Since coming on board nine months ago, she has played a key role in forging partnerships in London, Boston, and Phoenix aimed at improving public charging access for 55,000 drivers.
“We’ve got to get to work,” Tinucci told Bloomberg in an exclusive interview. “As comfortable as I am in the charging space, I fully recognize how difficult it is to do charging well.”

Steps to augment charging stations

As part of its efforts to improve charging infrastructure, Uber is rolling out a new planning tool to help 40 cities identify where charging stations are needed most. It’s also working with C40 Cities, a global climate initiative backed by Michael Bloomberg, to support local governments with data, research, and policy ideas.

It may be recalled that three years ago, Uber invested £5 million to install 700 chargers in London. In Newham, one of the boroughs covered, those chargers are used more than twice as often as the national average — showing strong demand among drivers.

Tinucci affirmed that Uber can play a key role in building momentum.
“At Tesla, we focused on one brand. At Uber, the scale is much bigger. We already have the world’s largest EV fleet — and we’re just getting started,” she added.

Going all-electric in India by 2040

In its bid to go all-electric by 2040, the Indian arm of the Mission Bay, San Francisco-based company rolled out its Uber Green service in June 2023. Under this initiative, customers can opt for an electric car while booking their trips.
The new electric vehicle (EV)-specific offering is currently available in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru before being rolled out in other cities. The company will, in the course of this initiative, be deploying 25,000 four-wheelers and 10,000 two-wheelers that run on batteries.