Uber Pulls Back From EVs, Slashing Incentives for Drivers

Uber spent years trying to make it easier for ride-hailing drivers to ditch gasoline-powered cars.

When Levi Spires, a 51-year-old Uber driver in Syracuse, New York, hit a deer and damaged his Prius last year, a $2,000 promotion from the ride-hailing giant enticed him to buy a Tesla. Over 23 months, he earned around $3,500 from Uber Technologies Inc. in additional EV bonuses driving about 139,000 miles. It was all part of Uber’s goal to rapidly move its drivers into cleaner cars.

But things changed last week when Uber discontinued the monthly EV bonuses. Losing the incentive, along with steadily declining hourly ...