Uber has announced plans to transition hundreds of thousands of its drivers to electric vehicles by 2025, with 50 per cent of kilometres in EVs in key European cities by then. By 2030 it claims all its vehicles will be zero emissions in the US, Canada and Europe.
But a team funded by Carnegie Mellon University has conducted life-cycle comparisons of battery-powered electric vehicle fleets to a gas-powered one, using real-world rideshare data.
They found up to a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from full electrification but warned that traffic problems and air pollution could increase.
The cars and SUVs used in ridesharing scenarios typically drive more miles each year than a personal vehicle, contributing a higher proportion of greenhouse gases to the environment, the researchers said.
Previously, they calculated that rideshare companies’ carbon footprints could significantly decrease by fully electrifying their fleets.
However, few studies...