Uber CEO , Dara Whateverhisnameis, wants an all-EV Uber fleet by 2030. In other words, I guess he’s pro holes in the earth if it makes his company look progressive & green on the surface. Dara says by 2030, Uber employees will either have to switch to an EV, or stop driving for the company.
But here are the real world problems with that…
The cost of EVs are high. And as of today, their cost is rising by the month. Substantially higher EV purchase prices will mean that the cost of rides needs to go up substantially. Therefore the cost for consumers to use the service will go up substantially as well… and the service will lose value & convenience overall. AKA – Uber’s CEO is forcing his employees & customers to take on the costs of his progressive stance.
EVs will need longer downtime periods for charging. They won’t be able to go as far on demand. For example, if you need to get to an airport that’s 60 miles away, you’ll need to wait for a nearby Uber that’s got enough range left to make the trip. And you better not run the AC or you won’t make it. When the driver gets you to the airport, they’re gonna have to sit there & charge before they can work again… assuming there’s an open charger & they’re not all backed-up with lines full of other Uber drivers. All the rapid charging cycles shortens the life the EV’s batteries. And when the batteries kick the bucket, Uber employees will be looking at $30,000 repair bills to get back to work… or they can trade-in their bricked car for another expensive new EV.
Monthly costs…
A $65,000 EV with no down payment, 7% sales tax, and 3.5% financing comes out to $1,002 per month on a 6 year loan. So in this case, an Uber driver would have to pull over a thousand dollars per month before they make their first dollar of profit. If they work 5 days per week all year with no vacation time, their first $50 made every day goes to vehicle expense. But no worries, because Uber CEO Dara said he’ll give drivers an extra dollar per ride.
From where I’m sitting, this Uber EV-by-2030 plan only becomes feasible if the cost of EVs go down substantially, while the range goes up, and charge times become faster while simultaneously being less straining on batteries… and chargers become much more plentiful. Not saying it can’t/won’t happen with time. But to make a statement like that when cars prices are at an all-time high… just seems out of touch with our current reality. Not everything has to be so black or white. There are a lot of affordable, practical, low-emissions vehicles out there… that have already been produced & already exist here on this planet. To not use what’s already been produced is not green in & of itself. If you really want to be green, skip the Uber and walk/bike.
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