We had a major milestone at COP27 with the announcement of 11 new countries that signed the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles(Global MOU), aligning government and industry ambitions toward 100% new zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (ZE-MHDV) sales by 2040. These new signatories are helping support a sustainable climate, clean air, and clean technology jobs globally. The largest new signatory, the United States of America, sends a powerful message to the international community that the adoption of ZE-MHDVs is not only possible but critical to achieve climate and clean energy goals. Europe’s commitment to ZE-MHDVs has now grown significantly with Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, and Ukraine, who has demonstrated strong climate leadership in the midst of intense military aggression. And we are thrilled that four island nations from the Caribbean, who are also fighting for their own existence in the face of climate change threats, have joined this international commitment to decarbonize commercial vehicles.
It has never been more apparent that the technology is ready and cost parity for most applications will occur well before 2030. Increasing vehicle supply, charging infrastructure, and new finance mechanisms are still major barriers and needed to accelerate this market rapidly. Now 27 countries across four continents and over 70 subnational governments and private sector innovators are aiming toward the same targets. Drive to Zero will continue to build these global partnerships and help country signatories work strategically and collaboratively to develop the path to at least 30% new ZE-MHDV sales by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
— Cristiano Façanha, Global Director, CALSTART / Drive to Zero
Program Updates
New Global MOU Signatories and Endorsers
New MOU Signatories:
- Aruba
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Curaçao
- Dominican Republic
- Ireland
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Sint Maarten
- Ukraine
- United States of America
New MOU Endorsers:
- Avere
- Brightmerge
- Charge Across America
- Commercial Vehicle Charging Europe
- ElectronEV
- Eleport
- Heliox
- ParkMyFleet
- Phoenix Motorcars
- REE Automotive USA Inc.
- Siemens
- Sono Motors
- Workhorse Group
Multi-Country Action Plan
We also unveiled the Multi-Country Action Plan (MCAP) at COP27, a special report that provides recommendations for building out an achievable policy framework to enable 100% new zero-emission truck and bus sales by 2040. The report also outlines major policy developments to date since the Global MOU’s launch at COP26 last year. A companion to the Global MOU Policy Tracker Dashboard, MCAP is a key resource on important next steps for countries after signing the Global MOU.
Panelists at Zero-emission trucks are here! (left to right): Wolfgang Brand, CFO, Commercial Vehicle Charging Europe; Andreas Kammel, VP Alternative Drivetrains at TRATON Group; Sita Holtslag, Europe Director, CALSTART/Drive to Zero; Christoph Wolf, CEO, Smart Freight Center; Binyam Reja, Global Practice Manager, Transport Global Practice, World Bank; Pia Berglund, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Einride; Uday Khemka, Vice Chairman at The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation and Senior Climate Advisor for The Long-Term Investment
ZETI Data Explorer
Drive to Zero also presented its new online interactive tool, the Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI) Data Explorer, to international government audiences at COP27. This tool, which grounds the Global MOU in real-world data on model availability and technology readiness, provides new insights into ZE-MHDV market status and trends. It allows users to filter, explore, compare, contrast, and visualize data about zero-emission truck and bus model availability, vehicle type, manufacturers, vehicle ranges, battery capacity, and much more. Learn more about the ZETI Data Explorer by watching this informational video.
Know of a new zero-emission truck or bus model you would like to see included in the ZETI Data Explorer? Tell us about it here.
News Updates
The tone of international climate discussions going into COP27 was not cheerful, with the inevitability of exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming mark putting high pressure on global leaders to act. Now, as we reflect on the Summit’s final agreement and its failure to phase out all fossil fuels, it is still promising that countries with some of the largest commercial vehicle markets will be taking critical steps on their own to slash transport emissions.
In addition to the United States’ commitment to the Global MOU, hot off the press is the California Air Resources Board’s approval of a historic $2.6 billion investment plan for zero-emission transportation that focuses heavily on equity, plus a proposed phasing out of 30,000 heavily-polluting trucks servicing ports by 2035. Support for ZE-MHDVs in the country grabbed many headlines this month: for instance, innovative fleet-as-a-service provider Zeem has purchased 100 Nikola Class 8 Tre battery-electric vehicles, which will provide freight and logistics companies with access to zero-emission commercial vehicles without the high purchase price tag. Nikola will also work with ChargePoint to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure for commercial U.S. fleets, and Volvo Group and Pilot Company have agreed to develop a national, public charging network to support battery-electric heavy-duty trucks. These partnerships on infrastructure, and rapid responses from utility companies, will prove absolutely critical to ensure the United States stays on track to reach its targets, especially given that electric truck stops will need as much power as a small town, according to a new study from CALSTART, National Grid, RMI, Stable Auto, and Geotab.
In Europe, infrastructure will also remain the most important barrier for Global MOU signatories to overcome as momentum builds. Increased support will be forthcoming from new Global MOU endorser Commercial Vehicle Charging Europe, a joint venture of Europe’s biggest truck manufacturers that will build at least 1,700 public charge points for heavy-duty vehicles in Europe by 2027. In addition, SSE Airtricity in new signatory Ireland has already announced the installation of 30 ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging hubs, with sites designed to accommodate long-wheelbase vehicles and buses alongside passenger vehicles. Denmark’s fifth-largest city, Vejle, installed 32 fast chargers for its fleet of 33 electric buses—more announcements like these will be crucial to support the continued surge of zero-emission bus deployments seen in Sweden, Copenhagen, Venice, Vienna, and the United Kingdom, to name just a few.
Please share new information, potential partners, and innovative practices to achieve our Drive to Zero goals at info@globaldrivetozero.org. Follow us on Twitter @TeamDrivetoZero. Please feel free to share this newsletter with others.
– Emily Varnell, Technical Writer, CALSTART
