Final-round case · Uber BI & Analytics Lead · May 2026
Where Uber should invest the next $100M for economically sustainable EV adoption.
An interactive companion to the case deck. Adjust the inputs and the model recomputes live, from public-data anchors. Every number traces to a source you can verify.
01 · Reframe
Static TCO cannot explain why drivers switch back to ICE.
TCO measures cost. The case prompt is about driver decisions and marketplace health. DEV treats friction time-cost and retention as first-class variables.
Necessary but not sufficient
Static TCO
- Average vehicle cost
- Fuel and maintenance
- Single-city assumption
- Minimal time-friction
- Weak link to marketplace
The decision metric
Driver Economic Value (DEV)
- Driver-hour economics
- Charging time and deadhead
- Segment and market variation
- Retention and switch-back risk
- ETAs, cancels, completed trips
TCO answers is this vehicle cheaper on paper. That is a planning question.
DEV answers does this driver net more value per shift hour with reliable charging. That is an operating question.
02 · Calculator
The DEV model. Adjust an input. Watch the math move.
Pick an archetype, then move any slider. The waterfall, the EV-vs-ICE delta, and the sensitivity heatmap all recompute live. Every input has a sourced default; hover the info icons.
Inputs
DEV result
EV deficitComposition · $/active hr
Sensitivity · friction × utilization
Black dots trace the EV-vs-ICE breakeven. Above-and-left of the line, EVs beat ICE on DEV. Your scenario marker updates live as you change inputs.
This is a public-anchor model that I built for the case. Every input is source-commented in the underlying TypeScript module (link in methodology). Outputs are intentionally conservative. Internal Uber data would capture trip-mix, app routing, and battery-aware matching effects this public model cannot see.
03 · Mechanism
Porto +15% and NYC -2% are explained by ONE mechanism, not five.
The case prompt's two findings are deliberately contradictory. Yet the model says the asymmetry comes from a single mechanism dominating each market.
NYC's gap is charging-friction time tax. Public DCFC at $0.49-0.65/kWh against gas at $4.67/gal yields only a thin fuel wedge, and Manhattan-trip drivers without home charging spend ~45 min/day at $33/hr opportunity cost. That single mechanism (-$2.20/hr in the model) overwhelms every other lever.
04 · Portfolio
$100M, allocated by binding constraint, not by subsidy philosophy.
Charging access is the largest sleeve because the model identifies charging friction as the single largest mechanism eroding NYC EV economics. Click a sleeve to read the rationale.
Charging access and utilization guarantees
The binding constraint in NYC-like markets. Closes the EV-vs-ICE friction gap, unlocks 5-7x in state and utility co-funding.
NoteThe exact dollar split should update with internal DEV response curves. The ordering is locked: charging friction is the binding constraint in NYC-like markets.
05 · Leverage
Uber's $100M can plug into a stack of state and federal programs already serving TNC drivers.
Every major state and federal program below either explicitly serves TNC drivers (MA) or funds the infrastructure Uber would otherwise self-finance. The window is narrow on three of them. Click a program to open the official page.
$6.3M vehicle + $7.2M DCFC hubs. The only US program explicitly targeting Uber, Lyft, and taxi drivers. 5-7 hubs going live.
Partnership round expansion is the lever; current build is already site-selected.
Six utilities (Con Ed, National Grid, Central Hudson, NYSEG, O&R, RG&E) covering up to 100% of utility-side L2 + DCFC infrastructure.
Single biggest near-term NY lever. Pipeline applications still get processed after window closes.
Up to 100% of project cost. $55K-$100K per DCFC port. Closed Oct 29, 2025 with rolling award decisions through 2026.
Stack with CALeVIP 2.0 ($500M+ cumulative). DAC/tribal/low-income prioritized.
Judge Lin (W.D. Wash) ruled the freeze unlawful; FHWA reapportioned for FY26. State 5-yr allocations: CA $384M, NY $175M, NJ $104M, MA $63M, WA $71M.
Up to 80% federal share on corridor sites. State-by-state re-opening through 2026.
Vehicle rebate $1.5K-$4K (income-qualified stack); DCFC up to $100K/port for ≥150 kW.
Pair vehicle rebate with corridor DCFC builds for stacked driver economics.
OBBBA (Jul 2025) terminates 30C for property in service after June 30, 2026. Cap $100K/item. 30% with prevailing wage + apprenticeship.
One-shot before sunset; speed of permitting and energization is a competitive advantage.
Structural roles for Uber capital in this stack.
State and federal programs cover infrastructure construction, but rarely demand aggregation, siting analytics, or predevelopment risk. Those are the seams where Uber capital and data compound.
Utilization commitments and driver routing make a hub bankable for the operator and the state.
H3 supply-demand and dwell-pattern data point public funders to the right corridors.
Cover early-stage risk (permitting, interconnection) where public dollars fund construction only.
$35M charging sleeve as match against state grants that require a private share.
06 · Methodology
Transparent inputs. Conservative outputs. Replaceable with internal data on day 30.
Every number on this site comes from one of three things: a sourced public anchor, the case prompt, or the computed model. No internal Uber data was used.
The model
DEV $/hr = earnings/hr
− vehicle opex/hr (energy + depreciation + maintenance)
− charging & friction time-cost/hrReference archetypes
| Archetype | Earnings/hr | Opex/hr | Friction/hr | DEV/hr | vs ICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Full-Time EV | $33.00 | $3.89 | $2.48 | $26.63 | -7.2% |
| NYC Part-Time EV | $33.00 | $8.56 | $3.30 | $21.14 | -26.3% |
| Porto Full-Time EV | $14.00 | $3.01 | $0.72 | $10.26 | +7.8% |
| NYC Full-Time ICE (baseline) | $33.00 | $4.02 | $0.28 | $28.70 | baseline |
| Porto Full-Time ICE (baseline) | $14.00 | $4.37 | $0.12 | $9.52 | baseline |
Sources
Uber strategy and engineering
- Uber Electrification UpdateUber · Apr 17, 2026
- Our Road to Zero EmissionsUber
- Say hello to Uber ElectricUber · Oct 22, 2025
- Under the Hood of Uber's Experimentation PlatformUber Engineering
- Causal Inference at UberUber Engineering
- H3: Uber's Hexagonal Spatial IndexUber Engineering
- QueryGPT: Natural Language to SQLUber Engineering
- Unlocking Financial Insights with FinchUber Engineering
- EVIE charging infrastructure estimatorUber
NYC TLC and driver economics
- TLC Climate Week 2025 electrification updateNYC TLC · Sep 2025
- Electrification in Motion 2024NYC TLC · Sep 2024
- HVFHV Trip Data DictionaryNYC TLC · Mar 18, 2025
- Driver Pay Rule §59B-22 (Parrott expense model)NYC TLC · Jun 6, 2025
- NY/NYC gas pricesAAA
- EVgo pricingEVgo
- Tesla Magic Dock pricing (non-Tesla)Electrek
- Revel Superhub pricingRevel
- Con Edison TOU ratesCon Edison
Portugal and EU EV market
- MOBI.E April 2026 network updateMOBI.E · Apr 2026
- MOBI.E EGME 2026 tariffMOBI.E
- Portugal record EV sales 2025European Alternative Fuels Observatory
- Portugal 2026 e-mobility incentiveselectrive.com
- Bolt expands premium EV fleet in EuropeThe EV Report
- Portugal electricity pricesGlobalPetrolPrices
- Portugal gasoline pricesGlobalPetrolPrices
About this site
Built as a companion to a final-round case for Uber's BI & Analytics Lead role, Global Electrification & Sustainability. The interactive model is a transparent public-anchor build. The same underlying calculator powers the deck's figures; the deck is the strategic story, this site lets you scrub the inputs.
Stack: Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind 4, Radix UI, Recharts, Framer Motion. Deployed on Vercel. Source available on request.
Contact
Happy to walk through the model, the deck, or to keep the conversation going about the role.
Try the interactive calculatorbobsa514@gmail.comgithub.com/bobsa514