Accelerating the Electric Vehicle Transition

The report identifies the electrification of ridehailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, as a key strategy to accelerate the broader electric vehicle transition in the United States. Based on an analysis of 100 million miles of vehicle data, it identifies three primary barriers to implementation: technological capability, financial competitiveness, and charging infrastructure.

• Electrifying ridehailing vehicles from transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft can accelerate the broader EV transition by increasing the availability of efficient, low-cost charging infrastructure, reducing operational costs, and improving public awareness.
• Analysis of 100 million miles of ridehailing data indicates that current electric vehicle technology is generally viable for replacing internal combustion engine vehicles in TNC applications.
• Scaling the electrification of ridehailing requires addressing three main barriers: technological capability, financial competitiveness (including pricing, charging access, leasing models, and the used EV market), and the development of robust charging infrastructure through stakeholder coordination.

APA

RMI (2021). Accelerating the Electric Vehicle Transition. https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-the-electric-vehicle-transition/

Chicago

RMI. Accelerating the Electric Vehicle Transition. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-the-electric-vehicle-transition/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Accelerating the Electric Vehicle Transition |date=6 January 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-the-electric-vehicle-transition/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021accelerating, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Accelerating the Electric Vehicle Transition}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-the-electric-vehicle-transition/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }