Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles

This guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that ride-hailing drivers for transportation network companies (TNCs) are ideal candidates for electric vehicle (EV) adoption due to high vehicle utilization, which maximizes savings on fuel and maintenance and increases potential carbon offsets.

• Full-time TNC drivers working 50 hours per week can save an average of $5,200 annually in total vehicle expenses by using an EV instead of a gas vehicle. Even without specific rebates or charging programs, these drivers can save over $2,500 per year in fuel costs alone.
• EVs offer significant maintenance savings over gas vehicles because they have fewer moving parts and do not require oil changes, air filters, timing belts, or spark plug replacements. In the first year, full-time TNC drivers can save over $2,700 in maintenance and repair costs, with total savings reaching as much as $21,000 over five years.
• The electrification of TNC fleets provides substantial environmental benefits. In New York and San Francisco, where TNC and cab rides represent 19 percent of weekday local vehicle miles traveled, if half of these drivers switched to EVs, 1.5 billion pounds of carbon would be offset annually.
• RMI recommends EVs specifically for TNC drivers who drive more than 20 hours per week or those operating older vehicles from 2007 or earlier, as these groups benefit most from lower operational costs and the need to meet TNC model year requirements.
• In Austin, Texas, specific utility programs enhance EV economics, including a rebate of up to 50 percent for home charging stations, a $30 monthly flat rate for unlimited off-peak home charging via the EV360 program, and unlimited public charging network access for $50 per year.

APA

RMI (2018). Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles. https://rmi.org/resources/ride-hailing-drivers-ideal-candidates-electric-vehicles/

Chicago

RMI. Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/ride-hailing-drivers-ideal-candidates-electric-vehicles/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles |date=29 March 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/ride-hailing-drivers-ideal-candidates-electric-vehicles/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018ridehailing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/ride-hailing-drivers-ideal-candidates-electric-vehicles/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }