Ridesharing already benefits drivers and the planet, but the luxury ride service company Alto is taking it one step further by adding fully electric vehicles to its fleet.
In April, the company launched a rollout of 12 Kia EV-9s in Dallas, with the ultimate goal of putting 100 more EVs on the city's roads by the end of this year, per the Dallas Express.
Another perk of the ecofriendly rides is that customers won't be charged extra fees for being picked up in an EV, according to the Dallas Morning News.
"We think electric is the future and our goal is to be 100% electric," Alto's founder and CEO Will Coleman told the outlet. "It will take us different amounts of time to make that transition in different cities, but we know that we can scale from here very quickly."
Alto stands out from other rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft because it owns its vehicles and hires drivers as employees rather than using contractors.
As the DMN reported, drivers will receive training on driving the EVs to help reduce accident risks and ensure consistency in service. Alto says this will help the switch to EVs go more smoothly.
"We think we can offset some of those traditional challenges with EVs through our model, and that will help us keep our costs lower than our competitors and allow us to move more quickly," Coleman told DMN.
In addition, Alto keeps fewer cars on the road than its competitors, helping reduce traffic congestion and, therefore, reducing planet-warming pollution associated with gas-powered vehicles.
Alto isn't the only rideshare service looking to go green. Uber's mission is to have a fully electric platform in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2030 and worldwide by 2040.
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Lyft is also aiming for a 100% electric vehicle platform by the end of 2030 and has partnered with a fast-charging company that will allow drivers to charge EVs at a discounted rate.
While the Inflation Reduction Act is making it easier than ever for consumers to make their next car an EV with tax credits of up to $7,500, EVs are still out of range for many (though costs continue to come down). Alto is a great option for anyone who wants to experience an EV without the commitment of buying one.
"Typically, the break-even point for someone to kind of realize the cost savings that's attributable to an EV is 50, 60, 70,000 miles into the lifespan of the vehicle," Coleman told DMN. "A company like ours can better support that kind of cost trade-off than an individual."
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