'Big challenges': Uber wants more government help shifting drivers to EVs

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Uber's (UBER) global head of electrification and sustainability says the ride-hailing giant faces 'big challenges' in its push for 100 per cent zero emissions rides in Canada, the United States and Europe by 2030.
Rebecca Tinucci says the San Francisco-based company needs to forge a 'really tight public-private partnership' with Ottawa and provincial governments in order to make it happen.
In the first three months of 2025, Uber says just 9.1 per cent of 'on trip' miles in Canada and the U.S. were completed in zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Earlier this month, Tinucci announced Uber would not fully achieve its 2025 electrification goals due to "high upfront EV costs, limited charging access, and inconsistent policy support" from governments.
According to data from Statistics Canada released on Wednesday, ZEVs comprised 6.5 per cent of total new motor vehicles sold in March. Sales tumbled 47 per cent year-over-year, adding to a 41 per cent decline in February.
'I know it's very challenging,' Tinucci told an audience at the EV & Charging Expo 2025 event in Toronto on Wednesday. 'We have very aggressive goals at Uber around being a zero-emissions platform. Here in Canada, it's 2030.'
Uber announced its commitment to become a zero-emissions platform by 2040 back in 2020, including the 2030 target for Canada, the U.S., and Europe.
'To be clear, it is a North Star, and we've said in the beginning that it requires really tight public-private partnership to make that happen. And candidly, right now [there are] big challenges on the horizon,' Tinucci said.
In January, Canada's federal government paused its ZEV incentive program worth up to $5,000 on eligible cars and trucks. British Columbia is due to pause its electric vehicle rebate program worth up to $4,000 on May 15. Quebec's EV rebate dropped to a maximum of $4,000 per eligible vehicle, from $7,000 on Jan. 1.
Tinucci says Uber is doing its part to spur drivers to shift to ZEVs. The company offers financial incentives for drivers with zero-emission vehicles. In 2020, Uber promised to spend $800 million through 2025 to help drivers in Canada, the U.S., and Europe transition to electric vehicles.
'Many of our drivers across the world take home more money because they drive an EV,' Tinucci said. 'We see better reviews and higher tipping from customers who ride in EVs.'
She adds that Uber drivers in Canada are transitioning to electric vehicles six times faster than the general public, and incentivizing ride-hailing drivers to switch is essential, since they spend so much more time on the road.
General Motors (GM) Canada vice-president of marketing and sales Shane Peever says the "unpredictability" of EV rebates from the federal and provincial governments has been a speed bump for the automaker.
"Having some consistency on that will really help the EV market in Canada," he said on Wednesday at the same event.
"Manufacturers, not just General Motors, will be able to plan appropriately. That's one of the things that we've had a challenge with this year, is trying to predict demand amid those ever-changing policy landscapes."
Peever notes that over half of GM Canada's EV business is driven by Quebec, where government rebates are among the most generous.
BMO Capital Markets analyst Erik Johnson says changes in rebate policies across multiple levels of government were the main reason behind plunging ZEV sales in March.
"There are still no details on whether the federal rebate will return," he wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.
Johnson adds that Canada's 47 per cent year-over-year plunge in March stands in sharp contrast to the U.S. market, where sales for the month increased 19 per cent on an annualized basis.
Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.
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