Lyft rides are about to get a whole lot greener.
In the first-ever program of its kind, the company is offering 100 of its drivers subsidies to rent full electric vehicles for a whole year in San Mateo County.
The pilot project is a $500,000 investment.
The goal is to help reduce carbon emissions. "We’re working with Lyft to provide an incentive for their drivers to rent electric vehicles for their routes," said Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper.
Lyft is also going to provide free fast charging to these drivers through a partnership with companies EVgo and Electrify America, said Pepper. The savings are staggering, she said.
"Gasoline savings for 100 cars at 180 miles per day, driven every day, is about 220,000 gallons per year," she said.
With prices the highest they’ve been in almost seven years as reported last month by CNBC, not only will the cars help the environment, they’ll also help driver’s wallets. As more people are eager to get out and drive, travel, prices are expected to continue climbing.
It’s even more crucial in California, where prices are some of the highest in the country. According to AAA’s gas price tracker, the state's average price per gallon is $4.22, more than a dollar higher than the national average, $3.08. An additional side benefit, Pepper said, is that perhaps passengers might like the ride so much they’ll be motivated to buy their own model.
Lyft is committed to converting to a fully electric fleet by 2030.
Related
