The familiar blue Revel electric cars seen gliding around NYC is now a thing of the past.
Revel rideshare, a powerhouse in the rideshare industry, rivaled primarily by Uber and Lyft, will cease its rideshare operations on Monday to focus on building electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in major cities, including the Big Apple.
“We have made the difficult decision that the best way we can keep the EV transition moving forward is by ending our rideshare service and focusing on building the fast charging infrastructure our biggest cities need to keep going electric,” Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig said in a statement to amNewYork.
Rideshare service will end on Aug. 11.
“We are proud to have been the first all electric rideshare company,” Reig said. “For many, their first experience in an EV was in one of our bright blue cars. That spark helped power the electrification of rideshare throughout New York City. Revel cars have gone from being some of the only EVs on the road to being joined by thousands.”
Revel currently has 100 operational chargers across five charging stations in New York City and one in San Francisco, with 100 charging stalls in construction, the company said.
Revel reps also said the company is planning to have 2,000 charging stall operations across the markets by 2030.
In June 2024, Revel ended its staff employee driver roster and shifted to independent contract drivers as demand started to decline.
In April 2025 it ended its contract with Hertz rental cars, according to an article in Automarketplace.
The article also states that there are rumors that the company is now seeking a buyer for its over 100 NYS TLC license plates. Individual driver plates are non-transferable, but those attached to corporations can be transferred through the sale of the company — more information about this is on the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission website.
Shifts in the industry have affected Revel before. The company started out in 2018 as a small Bushwick storefront with 68 rental mopeds. Within two years, the micromobility company expanded to San Francisco, where it provided just under 600,000 rides a month.
Revel closed its moped rental operations in 2023 due to a decline in rentals and safety issues — including a string of rider deaths in NYC.
Revel’s website as of Monday notes that its rideshare service has ended.
