Lyft will include electric car charging with rentals in Denver

Roadshow 11/19/2019 Sean Szymkowski

a car parked in a parking lot: Added convenience, for sure. Electrify America

Driving an electric car with Lyft just got a little bit sweeter. The ride-hailing company has partnered with Electrify America to provide EV charging when drivers opt to use the Express Drive program, the companies announced today.

The program gives those who want to drive for Lyft the option to rent a vehicle, including electric cars , through the company. In Denver, those who choose to use the program and pick an electric car will get free charging now as well. In the Denver area, there are a total of seven Electrify America charging stations with 30 plugs for drivers to take advantage of.

When it's time to plug the car in, it won't cost a dime since it's already bundled in the weekly rental rate. Lyft didn't break out the cost figure, so it's not totally clear if this is a screaming deal, but it should be pretty convenient for drivers.

Ride-hailing all-stars: Cars that won't let you down

a yellow car parked on the side of a building: The Kia Soul almost seems like it was born for rideshare use: Boxy, utilitarian, cheap, but durable -- and you might even find one in taxi yellow. If you're also enticed by that Kia or Hyundai 10 year and 100,000 mile warranty on the powertrain, know that it's probably voided by rideshare use of the car, at least following a strict reading of the documents.

The Kia Soul almost seems like it was born for rideshare use: Boxy, utilitarian, cheap, but durable -- and you might even find one in taxi yellow. If you're also enticed by that Kia or Hyundai 10 year and 100,000 mile warranty on the powertrain, know that it's probably voided by rideshare use of the car, at least following a strict reading of the documents.

The company said that as it adds more EVs to its Express Drive program, it will continue working with Electrify America to include more charging stations in other cities. In Denver, there are already plans to add around 19 more stations with 75 additional charging spots. Both companies said this is an effort to keep putting cleaner vehicles on the road.

"We can't have an impact without providing our drivers with fast, convenient access to charging, which is why we are thrilled to be working with Electrify America," Cal Lankton, vice president for fleet and global operations at Lyft, said in a statement.

It's the latest area Electrify America has expanded into as it continues to pump millions of dollars into electric car charging infrastructure and education. The company, a VW Group subsidiary, is just one way the German automaker is giving back and paying penance of sorts following its 2015 diesel scandal.