Above CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced Tuesday that the company is updating its platform with new sustainability-focused features, including an “EV preference” that allows customers to opt for all-electric vehicles by default when requesting a ride.

The company has previously launched an “Uber Green” service, which in the past has included a mix of battery-electric vehicles and hybrid-electric models. Now Uber can offer battery-electric vehicles as the only “green” option in more than 40 cities worldwide, executives said Tuesday at Uber's annual Go Get Zero sustainability conference in London.

At the conference, Khosrowshahi said the company's launch of new sustainability-focused features comes ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections, adding that this is a time when the issue of electric vehicles has become a “politically charged issue.”

However, he pointed out that the general trend is towards purely electric mobility options.

“The reality is that we will only reach net-zero emissions targets if policymakers and other companies also do their part,” Khosrowshahi said at the event.

“We need more affordable electric vehicles, we need stricter electric vehicle regulations, we need incentives for the people who drive the most. We want to ensure that chargers are available in every community, not just the wealthiest. That's why we all have to get involved,” he said.

Uber says it is introducing an “EV Mentor” program for drivers that connects drivers with all questions about electric mobility. The company also unveiled an artificial intelligence chatbot based on OpenAI's ChatGPT that is designed to answer questions for drivers on the ride-hail network about what it takes to purchase and use a battery-electric vehicle instead of a gasoline vehicle.

The nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation estimates that transportation is responsible for about 25% of carbon emissions from human activities worldwide. Carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases from human activity cause long-term fluctuations in temperature and weather and also contribute to respiratory diseases through the formation of smog and air pollution.

Ride-hailing services like Uber's can contribute to traffic congestion and therefore pollution, according to an analysis by Suvrat Dhanorkar, Gordon Burtch and others published in the journal Transportation Science. Uber is working to reduce its environmental footprint and aims to become a “zero emissions platform” by 2040.

On the delivery side of its platform, Uber is expanding Uber Eats offerings to include farmers market products in two major U.S. markets: New York City and Los Angeles.

Uber said it will also invest nearly $1 million to enable restaurants in Paris that sell meals through Uber Eats to switch to more sustainable packaging, such as: B. Algae-based packaging from NotPLA, bags made from leaves from Releaf and straws made from leftover agricultural sugar from IAmPlasticFree.

According to statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris residents generate more than 400 kilograms of waste every year. France has passed laws to reduce this waste, requiring fast food restaurants to eliminate single-use plastic packaging and utensils.

Specifically in the United Kingdom, Uber announced that it has partnered with British utility Octopus Energy and Chinese electric vehicle company BYD to fund 1,000 free home chargers worth nearly £1,000 ($1,310) each for drivers in the United Kingdom

The deal gives Uber drivers the opportunity to access Octopus’ “Intelligent Go” plan to help them with electric vehicle charging costs. Drivers can also receive an 8% discount on public charging systems across Octopus' Electroverse network.

“This is the first partnership between Uber, an energy provider and an electric vehicle manufacturer, and it will significantly reduce charging costs for drivers,” Rebecca Tinucci, Uber’s head of global sustainability, said at the event in London on Tuesday. Tinucci was previously senior director of charging infrastructure at Tesla.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct a quote from Dara Khosrowshahi.