Marking a major shift in sustainable transportation, mobility company Lyft announced a new commitment to shift its entire fleet to electric vehicles by 2030. The company said the move will help avoid tens of millions of metric tons of GHG emissions, and reduce gasoline consumption by more than a billion gallons over the next decade.

In a post on the company’s website, Lyft said that it is using the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to rebuild more sustainably, beginning with an acceleration of its efforts to address the climate crisis. The company noted that transportation sector has recently overtaken electricity as the single largest source of planet-disrupting greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution in the US and is now the second-largest source in Canada.

Lyft is collaborating with Environmental Defense Fund in its efforts to green its fleet. The shift to all-electric or other zero-emission technologies will include all vehicles on the Lyft platform, including cars in the Express Drive rental car partner program for rideshare drivers, the consumer rental car program for riders, the autonomous vehicle program, and drivers’ personal cars.

Although the upfront cost of the shift to EVs are significant, Lyft pointed to long term economic benefits for drivers, including lower fuel and maintenance costs. As battery costs continue to decline, the company expects the relative benefits to improve even further.

The company also announced that it will be ending its carbon offsets program, in order to focus fully on the transition to EVs. Additionally, Lyft is joining the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, a group of companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and making electric transport the new normal by 2030.

Commenting on the company’s new EV commitment, John Zimmer, co-founder and president, Lyft, said:

“Now more than ever, we need to work together to create cleaner, healthier, and more equitable communities. Success breeds success, and if we do this right, it creates a path for others.  If other rideshare and delivery companies, automakers and rental car companies make this shift, it can be the catalyst for transforming transportation as a whole.”

Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund, added, “as we move to repair the COVID-battered global economy, we have a chance to rebuild better and create a cleaner, more prosperous and more equitable future. Getting there will require investing in clean energy to create jobs and reduce pollution, and radically shifting how we move people and products. Lyft’s commitment accelerates momentum toward this future and sets the standard for other tech and transportation leaders to follow suit.”