Global Commercial Drive To Zero Program — Drive to Zero Newsletter

Throughout the Global MOU Summit, my Drive to Zero and Dutch colleagues were heartened to receive such positive feedback about the event and our esteemed community (watch our film to relive your favorite moments). Several attendees—impressed by our interactive zero-emission truck showcase, thought-provoking and hands-on infrastructure game, new cost benefit tool, the meet and greet with investors, and much more—even said it was the best event they had attended to date!

This feedback validated the message I shared in my “ZET Talk” kicking off the Summit, “Driving the Future” (view our Summit attendee ZET Talks on our website under “Resources & Tools” and “ZET Talks”).

To me, the Global MOU community reminds me of the mycorrhizal network that nourishes our forests and makes the ecosystem whole. Our community, just like this network, is not only collaborative and coordinated but also functions as a system. Typically, beneath the surface—or out of the public eye—we engage in deeply rooted, strategic work to share information, grow support and take solutions forward that are needed to transform global transport.

I see the Global MOU Summit as our “Mother Tree.” In every forest, the Mother Tree serves as the main source of nourishment for the mycorrhizal network. The tree identifies when and where nutrients are needed most and responds accordingly.

We didn’t gather for speeches and panels. We joined together to support one another and undertake transformative action.

For the Global MOU community, our “nutrients”—or what we need to achieve the Global MOU goals—are strong policies, investments, and infrastructure. At the Summit, we approach everything through that lens—engaging in dialogue, strategic problem solving, and advancing key next steps for each country and our community as a whole around these three key pillars (access the presentations on our website under “Presentations”).

Just like the Mother Tree, the Global MOU Summit isn’t a nice to have, it’s a must have. It’s where we come together to assess where we are as a community and where we need to go next to achieve a just ZE-MHDV transition.

Weren’t able to attend this year? Good news: If you haven’t done so already, endorse the Global MOU, register for 2026, and stay updated on our plans via the Drive to Zero website. Our gathering will take place in September in Santiago, Chile. Santiago—Chile’s capital and largest city—is emerging as a ZE-MHDV leader. By the end of this year, nearly 70% of its fleet of 6,500 buses will be zero-emissions. See you in Santiago!

—Stephanie Kodish, Global Director of CALSTART/Drive to Zero

*Share Global MOU Summit 2025 photos with your networks using the hashtag #GlobalMOUSummit.

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Special Features

ZET Talk: Just transition is not an option; it’s the only option

Our community is aligned around taking ambitious action to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. But to consider this transition a true success, we have to make sure we do it in a way that’s fair and just for all people.

In her ZET Talk at the Global MOU Summit, Diana Ávalos, Executive Director of the Mexican Association for Electric Vehicle Advancement (AMIVE), shared her insights into how countries can achieve a truly equitable, inclusive transition to zero-emission transport. This can take the form of ensuring traditional automobile workers aren’t left behind or training first responders—who already know how to respond to ICE vehicle fires— in emergency response involving EVs.

Supply-Side Action for Zero-Emission Transport: Spotlight on the Global South

At EVS 38 in Gothenburg, CALSTART’s Drive to Zero hosted a dynamic session on Global South Leadership in Supply-Side Regulations (SSRs)—showcasing how emerging economies are becoming industrial leaders in the clean mobility transition.

Policies like local content requirements, production mandates, and industrial incentives are catalysts for EV manufacturing, innovation, and investment — not just in the Global North, but increasingly across the Global South. 🌍

Key highlights from the session include:

$634B was invested globally in ZEVs in 2023—tripling since 2020, with strong momentum in emerging markets.
India, Chile, and Thailand are advancing bold SSR strategies—from e-truck procurement to lithium value-add and workforce training.
Bilk Public procurement + policy = scale: Demand signals are accelerating local production and de-risking investments.

There is significant opportunity for South–South and EU–Global South partnerships to build sustainable, and resilient critical mineral supply chains. The clear signal to come out of this event for EU industry and investors was that partnering with the Global South now means lower costs, stronger resilience, and access to booming high-growth markets.

Special thanks to panelists from TERI – The Energy and Resources Institute, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), SQM Chile, and Rajamangala University of Technology Isan RMUTI Thailand, and to Dr. Jasna Tomić for leading the session with purpose and insight.

Our panelists included:

Mr. Sharif Qamar, Associate Director, TERI
Dr. Seshadri Raghavan, Program Lead Sustainable Mobility, CEEW
Mr. Andrea Di Masi, External Affairs Associate, SQM Chile
Asst. Prof. Dr. Nopporn Patcharaprakiti Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Thailand

📄 ITF REPORT: Electrification Optimal for Decarbonizing Road Transport

At the International Transport Forum Summit in Germany last month, there was a significant focus on a recent ITF report that identifies the most efficient and cost effective ways to decarbonize the transportation sector. The analysis takes into account current and projected demand for clean energy and clean fuels across all economic sectors. Key road transport findings include:

Direct electrification of end-use applications, such as road transport or residential heating, helps to decarbonize the economy across sectors in the cheapest and most energy-efficient way.
The report says using hydrogen in the road transport sector is suboptimal since electrification is available and almost always more energy-efficient and cost-competitive.

It adds that governments should consider public spending on hydrogen-related assets for road transport with great care to avoid stranded assets. The report finds that use of e-fuels in road transport is particularly low priority given their energy inefficiency, the limited availability of sustainable carbon feedstock and the inherent higher costs compared with direct electrification.

📄 New Report: Battery Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks Cheaper Than Diesel Counterparts by 2030

A new report by Energy Innovation and International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Delivering Affordability: The Emerging Cost Advantages of Battery Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks and U.S. Policy Strategies to Unlock Their Full Potential, has found that battery electric heavy-duty trucks could be cheaper to own and operate than diesel counterparts across major vehicle types by 2030 in much of the United States. This shift has the potential to cut costs for consumers and improve affordability across the freight economy.

📄 Global Study: How to Unlock Benefits from Smart EV Charging

Join us to learn about the policies and organizations enabling battery-electric truck deployments in Sweden. What can the U.S. and other countries learn from their success? This informational exchange of success stories and strategies aims to spark solutions to increase adoption of battery-electric trucks on a global scale. Hear from our partners at Lindholmen Science Park and Volvo Group.