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The US ridesharing company Lyft committed to reaching 100% electric vehicles for their platform by 2030. They also officially joined the Climate Group’s EV100 global electric mobility initiative.
San Francisco-based Lyft estimated that switching to EV transmission will cut 16 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and save their drivers as much as $10 billion.
The Climate Group called this new goal the biggest vehicle-related electrification commitment to date under the EV100 initiative. Over the next decade the company plans to work with its drivers to electrify more than 2 million vehicles.
Lyft expects to electrify its Express Drive rental vehicles before drivers can electrify their personal rideshare vehicles. This is because Express Drive vehicles rack up more miles per year on average than personal vehicles so they can recoup a higher upfront vehicle cost through faster fuel and maintenance savings accrued on a per-mile basis, the company said.
“These savings are expected to increase over time as the cost of EV batteries, which has already decreased nearly 90% since 2010, continues to come down,” the company added.
More than 75 companies and organizations have already joined the EV100, agreeing to accelerate the transition to EVs and make electric transport the norm by 2030. Other members include DHL, Ørsted, and Lime.
As stay-at-home orders put in place during the covid-19 pandemic start to lift around the United States, electric vehicles represent a long-term solution for reducing air pollution and keeping communities healthy, the Climate Group said.
“Success breeds success, and if we do this right, it creates a path for others,” said Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer. “We hope to inspire other rideshare and delivery companies, automakers and rental car companies to make this shift.”