I just arrived at #WEF24 — and, as always, there is a lot to discuss. At the top of my list this year is the climate crisis and the electrification of transportation.
While the shift to electric vehicles is one of the few bright spots in the energy transition, I’m seeing too many signals that even the most climate-conscious governments and automakers are slowing down.
And while the challenges are real—high interest rates, stubbornly high EV prices, insufficient charging—these are problems to solve, not excuses to slow down.
Today, Uber drivers are going electric 7x faster than the general public, and when one driver goes electric, they deliver up to 4x the emission benefits. This is encouraging, but we’ll never hit our climate goals without stronger action by?policymakers and industry. I believe we should focus on 3 things to accelerate electrification:
1?? Phase out internal combustion vehicles by requiring automakers to go fully electric by 2035 at the latest. Without that move, it will be hard to continue to bring the price of EVs down to parity with combustion vehicles. It’s simple: drivers won’t go electric if it doesn’t make financial sense.
2?? We need more incentives that target “working drivers” like Uber drivers. These folks do many more miles on the road than average because they drive for a living. So focusing incentives here can deliver outsized climate benefits.
3?? We need more equitable and reliable charging infrastructure. Many Uber drivers don’t have driveways or garages and tend to live in “charging deserts” where overnight chargers are not being built fast enough. We’ve started to use data to help inform governments where the next wave of infrastructure should go, but much more focus is needed here.
You can read my full Fast Company op-ed below. I believe Uber drivers are key to our all-electric future, but it's going to take ALL of us working together to meet our climate ambitions.
