[RahulNagaraj]

Uber, the global ride-sharing platform, is said to be taking steps to promote electric vehicles on its platforms.

Uber recently introduced a new all-electric version of its Uber Green platform, which, as the name suggests, allows users to choose to ride in EVs only. The Uber Green platform previously offered hybrid options as well. Uber will also introduce a feature allowing users to set EVs as their preferences whenever there's only a few minutes of difference in ETA compared to a standard UberX.



The all-electric Uber Green will initially launch in multiple cities in the US, plus a few cities internationally as well. Cities in the US include New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Orange County, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Denver, Phoenix, and Sacramento. Other international cities include Paris in France, Sydney & Melbourne in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand.

Dara Khosrowshashi, CEO, Uber, stated, "After launching Uber Green with hybrids and EVs around the world, we now have enough EV drivers on our platform to make it an EV-only option in 40+ cities globally. Riders will be able to choose an EV for about the same price as UberX."

He further added, "Love the EV experience but not the occasionally longer ETA? We're introducing a new feature that allows riders to set their preference in the app and get matched with an EV anytime one is nearby. If the ETA is within a few minutes of a standard UberX, your EV ride will be on the way. Set it and forget it!"

In addition to this, Uber also wants to encourage its drivers to switch to EVs. To aid this, Uber will launch an AI Assistant next year in the USA, which will help drivers clear their doubts about purchasing an EV. It will also offer recommendations and information about range and charging. There will also be an EV mentorship program to connect experienced EV drivers with those planning to switch. Uber CEO said, "Going electric is a big decision, and drivers have lots of questions. That's why we're announcing an AI assistant in the driver app – powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o – to help drivers get answers to every EV question under the sun."

There will also be a series of "premium EV pop-ups,"* allowing riders to catch a ride in innovative EV, including a Lotus Eletre in London and a Rivian R1 in Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas.

Source: FoxBusiness

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[Doonite]

Interestingly, I have seen the option to choose an Hybrid/Electric or just Electric Uber in Sydney for as long as I can remember.

If the fares are reasonable, I always choose the Hybrid/Electric option as I enjoy the tranquil and quiet ride compared to the usual old & noisy CSUV's/SUV's (CRV, Outlander, Captiva) you get from UberX option.

Off topic - I've never used the pool option here as I simply do not have the patience for it. When I was in Hyderabad more than half a decade ago, I didn't mind pooling, but now it's just an added inconvenience to save some tiny amount of money.