Uber hits 230,000 EVs as electric car costs no longer top barrier

If you have noticed a surge of electric Uber cars in your city, the company has stated why. A new study shows electric car costs are no longer the top barrier for its drivers. The findings came from Uber's first survey in years.

The popular ride-hailing platform says more than 230,000 operators now drive EVs. Most of the growth (60 percent) occurred between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, pointing to a substantial uptick in EV adoption.

According to Uber, while EV prices are dropping, drivers still face significant hurdles in charging their batteries. It estimates that only a third of its drivers can charge at home in the US. The outlook in the UK and Netherlands is even worse, at 27 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Uber, however, is taking steps to remedy the charging situation. Its electrification boss, former Tesla executive Rebecca Tinucci, has formed a partnership that will help 55,000 of its drivers in the US and UK have better access to charging facilities. The company is also developing a tool to help cities determine the optimal locations for public chargers.

Uber is also investing directly in EV chargers. For example, it spent $6.73 million on 700 chargers in London in 2022, which achieved resounding success, as some of the plug points reported double the national utilization rates.