Uber Canada and Greenlots launch pilot project to encourage EV adoption in Vancouver
Uber Canada and Greenlots launch pilot project to encourage EV adoption in Vancouver
- Uber and Greenlots will expand Vancouver’s EV charging infrastructure and create three new EV charging locations in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Vancouver is currently one of the leading EV markets on Uber in North America, and this partnership will encourage more drivers and delivery people to transition to electric and lower carbon emissions
- This is Uber’s first partnership in North America designed to increase EV charger access exclusively for drivers and delivery people on Uber in public areas.
- The project will act as a pilot and a blueprint that can be replicated globally to make a greater impact, quicker
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, November 10, 2021 – Today, Uber announced that it will launch an electric vehicle (EV) charging pilot project in Vancouver, British Columbia. Uber will partner with global EV charging solutions leader, Greenlots, a member of the Shell Group that is soon to become Greenlots in 2022, to install three new fast-charging stations in locations with high rideshare utilization. This is Uber’s first partnership in North America designed to increase EV charger access exclusively for drivers and delivery people on Uber in public areas. The goal of the project is to increase EV adoption in the city, and use the pilot’s learnings to increase EV adoption in other cities where Uber operates in North America.
Vancouver currently has the highest percentage of low-emission vehicles on Uber across all Canadian markets, but access to public charging options remains a key barrier in the city. The new charging locations will be in downtown Vancouver, Metropolis at Metrotown, and the final station to be confirmed. All three stations will open in January 2022, and will offer discounted charging rates to make public charging more affordable than charging at home.
This pilot is a continuation of Uber’s ongoing work to become a zero-emission mobility platform by 2040. Earlier this year, Uber rolled out Uber Green, Uber’s low-emissions ride option, to 16 cities across Canada. Drivers using an EV receive an incentive of $1 incremental in earnings for every trip made on the platform. Uber also launched Uber+Transit earlier this month in Ontario, which offers users convenient routes that combine local transit with an Uber ride. Uber also offers various resources to drivers and delivery people looking to make the switch to an EV including the EV calculator, which helps inform drivers of the cost of ownership, subsidies, and local benefits available when making the switch to an EV.
Uber’s partnership with Greenlots on this pilot was a natural fit. Greenlots brings extensive experience providing turnkey solutions scaled to the specific electrification requirements of light, medium and heavy-duty fleets. Support for Uber includes site acquisition, system design and installation, and site operation tools.
“We know the impact that the Uber platform can have on lowering emissions, influencing EV adoption and expanding the EV charging infrastructure – and the time to act is now,” said Matt Price, Director & General Manager for Uber Canada. “This pilot project is an important milestone in Uber’s transition to a zero-emissions platform. We are honored to contribute to progress in Vancouver with Greenlots as our partner.”
Based on behavior and adoption rates, the Uber and Greenlots pilot project in Vancouver can act as a blueprint that can be replicated in urban hubs across North America. British Columbia’s Zero-Emission Vehicles Act (ZEV Act), along with programs like the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan have created a framework that has encouraged a shift to electric in the region. The transition is also inclusive of populations that were once difficult to reach. For example: Vancouver requires 100% of new multi-unit residential buildings to include EV charging, and recently passed similar requirements for non-residential developments.
Wider access to EV charging can increase exposure and buying options, and influence EV adoption across Uber’s vast driver and customer network, to help electric go mainstream. With Uber’s scale, more electric miles would be completed in urban areas, and more charging on city networks. This would help strengthen charger accessibility within communities, and lead to lower battery costs, two significant barriers to EV adoption. The U.S. Senate's passing of the Biden Infrastructure Plan, which earmarks $7.5 billion to bolster the EV charging infrastructure, along with the recently revised greenhouse gas emissions policies, is aligned with an approach that has proven to work in Canada at the municipal level.
“We applaud Uber for its commitment to achieving a future of zero emissions and are excited to help them achieve this important objective,” said Greenlots CEO, Andreas Lips. “Vancouver is proving what can happen when policymakers, business leaders and society work together to transition to electric mobility. Greenlots’ partnership with Uber demonstrates progress that can influence other markets to take a similar path.”
About Uber Canada
Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. Co-founded by Calgarian entrepreneur Garrett Camp, Uber started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 10 billion trips later, Uber is building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities. For more information, visit uber.com.