Lyft to offer free charging to Portland Green Mode EV drivers

Lyft is partnering with Portland General Electric to offer its EV drivers free charging at a number of Portland area locations.

The ridesharing company made the announcement recently, noting that eligible EV drivers will have access to free charging starting on July 1.

This follows Lyft’s recent introduction of Green Mode, a feature that lets riders specifically request an electric car or hybrid vehicle. Lyft introduced Green Mode in Seattle first in February, but it later brought the feature to Portland in April. The company said it should be rolling out to other US cities, as well.

Portland’s Lyft EV drivers can rock down to PGE’s Electric Avenue stations for their free charging — there are three completed in the area, with two more currently under construction. PGE also has plans to add two more stations by 2020. Each station can charge up to six EVs at once, with four DC fast chargers and two Level 2 chargers.

For Portland Lyft drivers, this is a huge incentive to buy EVs. Gasoline costs are a major expense for ridesharing drivers — going from paying for gas constantly to getting free charging could save drivers hundreds of dollars a month, or more, depending on how much they drive.