Keep up with the innovative tech transforming business
Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.
The pesky phenomenon of range anxiety—the concern that an EV doesn’t have enough battery power to reach its destination—persists.
A new partnership from Lyft and connected-car platform Smartcar aims to soothe the anxieties of ride-hail drivers and riders.
This month, they debuted “Rides in Range,” a new feature in Lyft’s app that ensures drivers only get ride requests within their EV’s battery range. The feature also sends drivers alerts when battery levels dip below 20%.
Lyft and Smartcar touted the tool as a way to ensure that Lyft drivers don’t have to turn down trips due to concerns about battery range. “Range anxiety is the top concern for EV drivers on the platform, as they want to avoid interrupting trips to charge or being unable to find chargers during a ride,” according to a news release.
“At Lyft, we’re all about making life easier for drivers on our platform, and we know that range anxiety is a big deal for those with electric vehicles,” Ciara Chow, Lyft’s senior product manager, said in a statement. “Now, our drivers can take on rides without constantly worrying about their battery levels.”
Sahas Katta, Smartcar CEO and co-founder, told Tech Brew that passengers sometimes end up tagging along while the driver charges their vehicle, creating an unnecessary delay.
“It’s not just a benefit for the driver,” he said, “but it’s also going to make passengers a lot more excited and comfortable to book a ride with an electric car on these platforms.”
He emphasized that the tool requires drivers to consent to sharing data by opting in via Lyft’s app.
The rollout comes as stakeholders across the EV sector look to resolve concerns about range and charging—a sticking point that’s contributed to a slower pace of EV adoption.
Katta sees software solutions like this playing a pivotal role in easing EV “friction points.”
“One of the beautiful things about innovative software developers and app creators who are building all sorts of amazing experiences is that a lot of these problems can be solved by apps and software,” he said.
Lyft aims to reach 100 million EV rides on its platform by the end of 2025. Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin told us via email that the company couldn’t provide a specific number of EV drivers using its network, but noted that Lyft had 2.3 million EV rides per month by the end of last year.