Uber rival Lyft says it’s also looking to electrify its fleet, and told Yahoo Finance Live on Wednesday it was the first company to pledge for an all-electric fleet.
Lyft co-founder John Zimmer re-emphasized the company’s goal of having an all-electric fleet by 2030, noting it was in talks with major automakers for electric vehicles to use with its FlexDrive platform, which allows drivers to rent a car for ride-hailing.
“We are talking to the OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] and the car manufacturers, and also talking to policymakers,” said Zimmer. “There is a huge shift happening. We feel very well positioned, and we want to bring multiple products to our drivers.”
Lyft would leverage its $2.4 billion in cash to make its all-electric vision come true, said Zimmer, noting relationships with financing partners would also be used.
Back in June 2020, Lyft announced its all-electric vehicle plans, saying:
That’s why today, Lyft – in collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund – is announcing its commitment to reach 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. By working with drivers to transition to electric vehicles, we have the potential to avoid tens of millions of metric tons of GHG emissions to the atmosphere and to reduce gasoline consumption by more than a billion gallons over the next decade.
All the news lately has been about Hertz and its 100,000 Tesla vehicle order, with half of this fleet being offered to Uber drivers.
Lyft saw sales jump 73% year-over-year to $864.4 million, as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, showing its second straight quarter with adjusted operating profitability.
