Uber AI Assistant to Encourage Electric Car Use

Uber has revealed a host of new measures to speed up the take-up of electric cars – and one of the most intriguing involves an innovative AI assistant for drivers.

The ride-hailing giant explained in a blog on its website how it’s “rolling out new features and updates to accelerate electrification and make it easier than ever for drivers, consumers and merchants to make a greener choice”.

It’s all part of the company’s overarching plan to become a zero-emissions platform by 2040.

Recognizing that there is still a fair amount of ignorance and lack of basic knowledge among much of the wider public surrounding EVs, Uber announced at the GoGet sustainability conference in London that it was committed to setting up a service to answer their questions.

As such, Uber’s driver app will soon feature an AI Assistant – powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o – to help provide human-like answers to every EV question imaginable.

Currently it is believed to be in beta testing and it is scheduled to launch in a few months, in early 2025.

It’s understood that while initially the service will be focused specifically on addressing queries on EVs – such as charging and buying advice – in time it might branch out for other use cases. 

A graphic on the Uber website illustrated how it will work, citing the benefits of EV usage and suggesting questions, via text, that a user might typically ask, such as “Which EVs are most affordable?” and “Where can I find charging stations?”. Localized advice, based on where the user lives, will also be available.

Ultimately the plan is for the bot – which will be based on the home screen of the driver app – to be able to respond audibly to direct questions from the user.

Among the other interesting initiatives intended to encourage EV uptake is the introduction of All-Electric Uber Green, an extension of Uber Green, which allows users to request a hybrid or full EV. As the name suggests, All-Electric Uber Green is an EV-only option that will be available in more than 40 cities globally and cost the same as an UberX.

EV Preference, meanwhile, will allow users to set a preference for an electric car in the app and get matched with one if it is nearby. If it’s going to take too long, they will be matched with an UberX.

CEO Dara Khosrowshai told the conference: “We need more affordable EVs, we need incentives for people who are driving the most. We all need to step up.”