Global Commercial Drive To Zero Program — Drive to Zero Newsletter

Program Updates

Dear Drive to Zero community,

As 2025 comes to an end, I invite you to join me in reflecting on the amazing work we’ve done this year to advance the worldwide transition to zero-emission trucks, buses, and infrastructure. Despite political headwinds and challenges associated with reimagining our MHDV transportation system, we charge ahead collectively and enthusiastically—because the stakes are too high to settle for the status quo. We’re building a future where carbon-free vehicle technology is the baseline, and where good jobs and stronger economies thrive on sustainability—not pollution.

Together, our Global MOU community has advanced policies, deployed ZE trucks and buses, developed plans for major green ports and freight corridors, and invested capital putting the MHDV transition into high gear. Here, I summarize some of our community’s biggest achievements of the year.

Happy reading, happy holidays, & see you next year!

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

At COP30, Mexico becomes the 41st country to sign the Global MOU.

Special Features

New Global MOU Community Signatories & Endorsers

Mexico, Peru, and Montenegro sign the Global MOU, which means our Global MOU signatories now represent 21% of trucks and buses globally & account for nearly 42% of the world’s GDP.
Nearly 125 new companies, sub-national governments (including our first in Australia, the Australian Capital Territory), private sector innovators, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) endorse the Global MOU.

ZE-MHDV Policy Wins

Ethiopia expands its ban on gasoline and diesel vehicle imports to include trucks—building on its 2024 restriction on private ICE vehicles—to cut $7  billion in annual fuel imports and accelerate the shift to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles as part of its carbon-neutral 2030 strategy.

Uruguay’s new policy (Resolution No. 21/2025) increases allowable gross vehicle weights for ZE HDVs. This regulatory adjustment removes a key operational barrier, enabling manufacturers and fleets to deploy ZE trucks and buses without sacrificing payload capacity, thereby accelerating the transition to zero-emission freight and passenger transport.

innocent drinks’ Breytner electric trucks (Netherlands)

Strong ZE-MHDV Sales

Nearly 1 in 4 new trucks, buses, and vans in Global MoU endorser California are zero-emission.
In the Netherlands during the first half of 2025, 78% of new vans and 76% of new medium trucks were battery electric.
In Europe, more than 16,000 new zero-emission trucks and buses were registered in the first three quarters of 2025—a 60% increase compared to the same time period last year, and reaching market shares of 4.2% for trucks and 23.1% for buses.
- Additionally, the market share of zero-emission medium trucks and vans (3.5–12 tonnes) more than doubled from 9.5% to 20.6% in Q1–Q3 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.
In January, Global MOU signatory Peru purchased 50 electric and hybrid buses, representing 11% of the country’s bus sales for that month; also plans to add another 150 electric and hybrid buses by early 2026.

Traditional refuse trucks in Ghana that are now zero-emission.

Deployment in Action

Endorser Zeronox and the Jospong Group are transforming 1,000 internal combustion engine refuse trucks in Global MOU signatory Ghana into zero-emission vehicles using the Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform.
As part of the UK’s £200 million Zero-Emission HGV & Infrastructure Demonstrator ZEHID Programme, DFDS is purchasing and deploying eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks and seven new charging stations throughout its delivery territory.
Already home to the largest electric bus fleet outside of China, Santiago is working with ZEBRA to reach more than 4,400 buses deployed by March 2026.
Milence—a joint venture formed by Traton Group, Volvo Group, and Daimler Truck AG—was selected for €111 million in EU funding to deploy hundreds of charging points in 71 locations across 10 EU member states as a part of the MILES (Mobility Infrastructure for Logistics – Electric & Sustainable) project.
The Port of Long Beach (CA) unveiled the world’s largest e-truck charging station on port property—at 9.5 MW, it can charge up to 40 drayage trucks at a time.

Announcing the new Brazil e-Dutra Coalition Corridor at COP30.

New Global Green Road Corridors Announced

In Brazil, the public-private e-Dutra coalition is transforming the Rio de Janeiro–São Paulo freight transportation corridor into the country’s first zero-emission highway.
Australia is getting its first electric truck corridor: Sydney–Melbourne Powered by Renewables Corridor.
The Mediterranean Corridor, led by Iberdrola, joins the Global Green Road Corridors initiative.

Finance Solutions Developed

Read the Blueprint here.

Drive to Zero and the Green Finance Institute, with support from the Climate Group and the European Clean Trucking Alliance, unveiled Cut Electrification Risk & Costs: The Residual Value Guarantee Blueprint, a critical tool to significantly cut residual value risk.
In addition to Residual Value Guarantees, Green Finance Institute is spearheading two other financial products that can serve as alternatives to subsidies: 1) Green Transition Fund (GTF), and 2) Battery Investment Facility (BIF).
Transvolt Mobility announced a Sustainable Green Bond that will be used to deploy more than 300+ zero-emission heavy commercial EVs for public and freight transportation.

Welcome our amazing new Global MOU Endorsers!

Upcoming Events

Planning Ahead: Global MOU Forum 2026

As 2025 comes to an end, some of you may already be planning your priorities for next year. Global MOU signatories, endorsers, and partners are invited to attend the Global MOU Forum 2026, which will take place from Sept 8-10 in Santiago, Chile (home to the world’s largest electric bus fleet outside of China!). The event will focus on four main themes: Impact, Regulation, Investment, Infrastructure.

For more information and to register:

On behalf of the Drive to Zero team, we wish you a happy, healthy and restorative holiday season!

Newsroom

Drive to Zero Newsletter – December 2025

Program Updates

Special Features