I just wrote an article about new incentives for electric vehicle buyers in California. However, there’s a specific group of drivers who just got a much bigger EV incentive boost in the Golden State. “The Drivers Assistance Program, also known as Rideshare Incentives for Driving Electric, or RIDE, will provide eligible drivers with up to $20,300 toward the purchase or lease of a new zero-emission vehicle and up to $14,200 toward the purchase or lease of a used zero-emission vehicle,” ACT News shares. I’m not really a fan of calling Lyft, Uber, etc. “ridesharing.” No one is sharing a ride. People are being picked up and driven places by a hired driver. I prefer going with the phrase “ride hailing.” Semantics aside, though, let’s look at the new policy. “Eligible drivers may receive up to $20,300 for a new zero-emission vehicle or up to $14,200 for a used zero-emission vehicle.” Say what?!?! That’s a lot of money. And that’s not even all of it. “Eligible drivers may also receive up to $1,170 per year to help offset charging costs.” Of course, ride-hailing drivers drive far more miles than your average Joe. So, getting such drivers into EVs provides much more benefit — to our health and the climate. Also, I think we all know by now that ride-hailing work is massively underpaid, with drivers covering the costs of their cars, maintenance, insurance, fuel, etc., and not making great profits/income after taking all of those costs into account. Providing a way for them to make better money while helping everyone out in the process is welcome in my world! “California’s transition to cleaner transportation depends on making electric vehicles more accessible for the people who spend the most time on our roads,” adds CPUC President John Reynolds. “These incentives will help reduce the cost of switching to zero-emission vehicles for rideshare drivers that perform the highest volume of rides, thereby reducing pollution and helping California meet its climate goals.” Indeed. Also, note that, for once, these incentives don’t provide more advantage to the rich, but are specifically aimed at those who struggle the most to have a comfortable, stable life financially. “The program is designed for low- and moderate-income drivers who complete a high volume of rides for transportation network companies such as HopSkipDrive, Lyft, and Uber. The CPUC said the incentives are intended to reduce transportation emissions while making electric vehicles more accessible for drivers who spend significant time on California roads.” This is a targeted policy that just makes sense. So, in addition to the regular consumer incentives to entice more EV buying, this is a solid, strong effort to really accelerate transportation electrification in the state. It won’t get a lot of attention, but as long as word spreads in the ride-hailing community and the industry electrifies rapidly, we all benefit — from better health and a more livable climate. Kudos to California for leading on this matter, again. The program will be administered by the Center for Sustainable Energy. If you are a “rideshare” driver in California, check in there about how to proceed.
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