The Drive to ZeroTM Pledge

We recognize the significant impact caused by transportation-related climate and criteria emissions in our global cities and urban regions;

We understand both the urgency and the realities of transforming the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle market to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases;

We appreciate that given the state of the technology, how vehicles are used and operated, and economic factors, that zero emission1 technology can be commercially viable sooner in certain applications than others;

We see the benefit of working together globally to make zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles successful by focusing on those applications that have the most near-term potential;

We believe these early applications, which we refer to as “beachheads”2, are global in nature and not unique to any single country or region;

We see the potential that by working together globally, and making these targeted segments successful that there will be substantial benefits in terms of economies of scale and supply chain development, that the technology will then have a stronger chance of succeeding in the entire commercial vehicle market in a time frame that is relevant to the goals set forth in the 2015 global “Paris Agreement”;

We want to work together to make these early segments of the commercial vehicle industry succeed in key geographic regions and nations including China, India, Japan, Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Europe;

We understand that for a transformation of the commercial vehicle market to occur there will need to be active leadership and participation from both government and industry;

We commit to the on-going CV Drive to Zero process of working with others globally to support and grow the successful “beachhead markets”, to coordinate activities, share strategies and best practices and build supporting actions to drive this change in our regions;

Through our work with CV Drive to Zero we seek to make zero-emission technology commercially viable in the “beachhead” markets in our region by 2025; and

We support the early success of these beachhead markets as a strategy to build a greater industrial ecosystem that would result in zero emission technology dominating new commercial vehicle sales globally by 2040, thereby putting the sector on a trajectory to meet the 2050 goals of the global climate accord.

Drive to Zero Objectives and Activities

Over the next five years, the project and its participants will focus on sharing information, identifying best practices, eliminating barriers, and coordinating among stakeholders to ensure success of the beachhead markets in China, India, Mexico, South America, Canada, the European Union and the United States.

Participants will be active in key region activities and attend and take part in one annual global meeting. The entities supporting this program will commit to working together to achieve the goals of the program.

CALSTART will serve as the Executive Secretariat of this global initiative. In this capacity CALSTART will convene the global participants, collect information, provide analysis, and support meaningful action in the targeted regions and markets.


1 For the purposes of this project, the term zero emissions shall also include, particularly for longer-haul traffic, vehicles with ultra-low emissions (90% lower than the current US M-HDV standard) and operate on 100% renewable fuels).

2 The beachhead concept was originally developed in a military context. It is defined as an area than an attacking army has taken control of and from where it can move forward into enemy country. For the purposes of this program, we are seeking to secure commercial success in key segments of the commercial vehicle industry while working to advance and succeed in the entire sector in a meaningful time frame. The enemy is climate change.

Sign the Pledge

Join a growing list of organizations and officials in taking the Drive to Zero Pledge today.