Rideshare Drivers — Foot Soldiers of the rEVolution – CleanTechnica

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I debated calling this article “Confessions of an Uber driver,” but thought that might give the wrong impression. Though, I am sure there are rideshare stories to be told under that title.

Two of my friends are Uber drivers, both drive Teslas. Recently, they have had a fascinating exchange on Facebook and have agreed to allow me to share it with you. The main point is that rideshare drivers have an unparalleled opportunity to share information about electric vehicle ownership and debunk some of the myths. Not only that — they do high miles in all sorts of circumstances. I doubt if there is any situation they have not faced and sorted. Well done, keep up the good work. I look forward to more stories in the future.

Let’s hear first from Nathan, who delights in showing off his very well looked after blue Model 3 SR (with light editing):

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“I’m somewhat convinced that some of my passengers are either NPCs or bots….

“Driving an EV for the past 4+ years, I occasionally will have a pickup or dropoff to a car dealership. Either the passengers purchased a brand new ‘petrol car’ or are having their petrol car serviced.

“I often asked if they would consider going to an electric car. This is where the misguided information takes place.”

Generic response below:

“I would find the hassle of charging to complicated or time consuming.” (I’m sure you plug your phone in)

Or

“Charging on road trips would take hours.” (Supercharging sessions can be as quick as 9 minutes)

“Within 20 minutes I’ve covered the cost of charging and availability of public Tesla Superchargers.

“Jaws drop when I mention the very vehicle they are in has 398,000 km+. They assumed it was a new car!

“With 90 ~ 110 trips completed each week and the exposure this (Facebook ) group has I’m sure I’m making some kind of contribution to the wider audience, along with those considering a regular petrol car in 2025 to look at other options such as Tesla!

“I kid you not — even today I had a passenger on a regular ‘UberX’ ask me if my car was hybrid… Yes in 2025!”

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And Robert, who drives Scarlett an Uber Model Y, replied:

I have the same experience Nathan. I can tell by the way they open the doors and fumble about. I’ve installed enhanced auto s3xy buttons to allow me to open the doors for them.

Same questions get asked and answered.

How much does it cost?

How far can you drive on a single charge?

How long does it take to charge?

Would you buy it again?

How much does it cost to charge?

My spreadsheet tells me it costs me about $0.06 per km, which equates to 3 litres of petrol per 100 km @$2 per litre. Hyper ventilation and you can see the $$ signs in their eyes roll.

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Other participants in the conversation add their own thoughts. One responder likens the fixed thinking of those who won’t consider electric propulsion as similar to their views on politics, covid, religion or sexual orientation and questions whether Robert and Nathan are wasting their time. I hope not. Even if a seed is planted for later maturity, it is worth it. It could be as small as a mustard seed. Not everyone has minds of concrete — throughly mixed and permanently set.

Another suggests that the most fertile fields are the minds of those who are inquisitive — or perhaps fence sitting — “we’ll see,” they say. The most wonderful thing is that we are now seeing Australia’s roads hosting hundreds of thousands of EVs and the number growing daily. Especially true of BYD and Tesla vehicles, which are the easiest to spot.

Advice is given — time, effort, and excitement need to be tempered with wisdom. Don’t get frustrated, don’t waste time arguing. [I have learnt this the hard way and console myself with the fact that nothing will stop a global mega trend like EV adoption — have a look around. Australia reached over 15% penetration of new cars being plugin sales last month. I am looking forward to the October figures.]

Another shares his experience: “Almost 100% of people that get in and say ‘I’ve never been in a Tesla’ are blown away by the time they get out.” One of the most startling revelations appears to be the news that you don’t have to hold the plug while the car charges — “no worry about overflows, spilling electrons over your hand and on your boots!” And there is evidence of success: “It was an Uber driver on the Gold Coast that educated me on the positives of an electric vehicle and encouraged me to test drive one when I got home. Two test drives and two weeks later, I ordered my Tesla Model Y.”

All this progress against the backdrop of media antagonism, scaremongering and misinformation. What will happen when they get behind the rEVolution? And they will! Because, unlike Tesla, other companies are starting to advertise EVs to the mainstream — BYD, Polestar, and even Toyota. Advertising dollars will work to change the networks’ minds.

Uber is helping to move this forward, recently renaming Uber Green (I have heard that sometimes when you ordered this, you could end up with a ride in a sealed hybrid HEV) to Uber Electric, and giving drivers extra incentives. “The future is electric, and it’s gaining speed on Uber,” they say on their website.

Globally, Uber claims that their drivers are “going electric up to 5x faster than the average motorist in the US, Canada, and Europe. Today, there are over 200,000 EV drivers on our platform globally taking millions of zero-emissions trips. And one in four riders say their first-ever EV ride was on Uber.”

Uber Electric is 100% electric in the USA. Discounts for riders have been made available and grants for drivers to exchange their fossil fuel dependent vehicles for both new and used EVs for drivers in New York City, California, Colorado, and Massachusetts.

Furthermore, Uber states: “We’re expanding battery aware matching (BAM) to now include major EV manufacturers like Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz, and we’re launching the feature in 25 countries across Europe, Canada and the US.

This is one of the most requested features among Uber’s EV drivers, and it ensures that drivers are only matched with trips their current battery range can complete.

For those who might claim bias, I have previously written about BYD Uber drivers. I would be happy to hear from those who drive rideshare on other platforms and with different EVs. Feel free to tell your story in the comments section. As for Australian Uber drivers, keep up the good work! And when dealing with those who have closed minds, smile while you enjoy the blessings your electric vehicle provides; for the future is indeed bright and electric.