Lyft is paying its drivers to use an electric vehicle

If you use an electric vehicle when you’re driving for Lyft, the company will pay you extra for it.

In a press release, the company announced that it is launching a new incentive program for drivers that switch to an electric vehicle. Paul Augustine, Lyft’s Director of Sustainability, says that the company is trying to help remove financial and logistical barriers for drivers who want to switch to an EV.

Electrifying our transportation network is a crucial step in helping reverse the negative impacts of climate change. We know many drivers on Lyft want to switch to EVs, which is why we’re focused on addressing the biggest barriers they face in transitioning: upfront costs and access to charging. These offerings are the latest in many steps we are taking to support drivers in switching to an EV on Lyft.

You can check out all of the benefits of the new program, dubbed the EV bundle, below:

• A new earnings incentive: Drivers in California will be able to earn an extra $150 every week by giving 50 rides in their personal EVs until the end of 2024 (though drivers will need to register their EV on the platform by the end of 2023). And they can keep earning the bonus week after week until they hit $8,100 (Subject to terms and conditions, see incentive details here).
• Fast charging discounts: Starting this week, US drivers on Lyft can access charging discounts at EVgo stations when they link their EVgo account with Lyft (up to 45% off EVgo’s standard Pay As You Go rates for Gold and Platinum drivers in certain markets). They will be able to link their accounts at any time from the Lyft Rewards page in the Driver app, and learn more about the partnership here. If they don’t have an account, they can create one for free.
• Cashback: Drivers can get between 1-7% cashback on public charging with the Lyft Direct debit card. The cashback amount is based on a driver’s Lyft Rewards tier and includes 7% cash back for Platinum drivers, 3% for Gold drivers, 2% for Silver drivers, and 1% for all cardholders at charging stations across the US that accept Mastercard.
• Home charging discounts: Drivers can get a Lyft-specific discount on Level 2 (L2) home charger hardware with our partner Wallbox and get pre-negotiated rates for L2 residential home charging installation with COIL, helping with a significant barrier in access to affordable home charging.

The company has also announced that it is buying more electric vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Polestar to add to its  Express Drive rental program. Lyft says that it plans to fully transition to EVs by 2030, a bold goal when it needs to get electric cars into the hands of all of its partner drivers.