By Nick Carey
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber (NYSE:UBER) said on Thursday that customers will soon be able to track emissions avoided when choosing greener rides and have the option of shared rides in more cities to further reduce CO2 emissions.
The company said customers will be able to track the amount of CO2 avoided via its Uber Green service that uses low- or zero-emission vehicles and its Comfort Electric service using electric vehicles (EVs).
Uber has previously promised that all the cars used to provide rides for customers will be fully electric by 2040 and says it now has 60,000 EVs active on its platform.
The company said on Thursday it was building 'Smart Charging' features for EV drivers that "will use machine learning to recommend when and where drivers should charge, so they can maximize their earnings."
Uber said it will expand its 'eco-friendly routes' that use mapping algorithms to boost fuel efficiency without increasing trip times or fares around the globe this year.
Launched in North America last year, those algorithms "factor in things like elevation and the amount of stopping & starting at red lights – all factors that dictate how much fuel a vehicle consumes."
Uber said it plans to eliminate emissions on all Uber Eats deliveries globally by 2040, and "end all unnecessary plastic waste" on the service by 2030.