Rideshare company Lyft, in collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund, has announced a commitment to reach 100% electric vehicles on its platform by 2030.
“By working with drivers to transition to electric vehicles, we have the potential to avoid tens of millions of metric tons of GHG emissions to the atmosphere and to reduce gasoline consumption by more than a billion gallons over the next decade,” Lyft said in an announcement.
The shift to 100% electric vehicles for Lyft will mean transitioning all vehicles used on the Lyft platform over the next ten years to all-electric or other zero-emission technologies. This includes cars in the Express Drive rental car partner program for rideshare drivers, the consumer rental car program for riders, the autonomous vehicle program, and drivers’ personal cars used on the Lyft platform.
Switching to electric vehicles is not just good for the planet; it’s good for people – riders, drivers, and the communities they serve. By helping to solve one of the biggest pieces of the climate challenge, we believe we can provide direct economic benefits to rideshare drivers and environmental benefits to communities most heavily impacted by smog and asthma.
Lyft said that the potential benefits to drivers are very significant. Although the upfront cost of EVs today is higher than gas-powered cars, EVs have lower fuel and maintenance costs that mean lower costs for drivers over the life of the vehicle.
Lyft said that drivers renting cars through Express Drive currently save an average of $50-70 per week on fuel costs alone. Lyft expects these savings to increase over time as the cost of EV batteries continues to come down. EV battery costs have already decreased nearly 90% since 2010, and Lyft expects that by mid-decade, EVs will be more economical for rideshare drivers than gasoline cars.
