Zero-Emission Vehicle Island Taskforce (ZEVIT)

Islands envision a zero-emission future.

A rapid transition to zero-emission trucks and buses, powered by a clean and resilient electric grid, will allow us to grow and diversify our economies, reduce our dependency on expensive fossil fuels, and provide cleaner air for communities. The time to act is now.

The Zero-Emission Vehicle Island Taskforce (ZEVIT) convenes leaders from island nations who have signed the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (Global MOU), committing to work together to ensure all new sales of trucks and buses are zero-emission by 2040. Members of ZEVIT come together to share their experiences, challenges, and opportunities related to truck and bus decarbonization, and they collaboratively work together to advance the transition. These exchanges will help to propel a global, inclusive achievement of the goals set forth by the Global MOU.

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Why zero emission?

Many island nations bear the brunt of the climate crisis, facing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, sea level rise, and ocean warming and acidification, causing significant loss and damage to communities, infrastructure, and crops.

Island nations’ contributions to global warming are marginal. However, the benefits of zero-emission trucks and buses go beyond CO2 emissions reductions:

Cost savings: Lower total cost of ownership has already been achieved in multiple countries and segments, including island nations. Every day we continue to operate diesel vehicles, we are not only harming communities, but also wasting money.
Investment: Around $3.4 trillion (USD) is expected to be invested globally in ZEVs each year to reach Net Zero by 2050. As early movers, island nations have a chance to capture a larger share of this investment.
Price certainty: Over the past four years, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has been as low as $14 and as high as $133, which poses a major risk for diesel-dependent countries and companies.
Access to affordable clean energy: Electricity produced by onshore wind and solar is ~50% and ~30% cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel-options, respectively. Powering ZEVs with renewable energy provides savings and energy security.
Air quality: ZEVs eliminate tailpipe NOx and PM2.5 emissions, which have serious impacts on human health. Vehicle tailpipe emissions are responsible for close to 385,000 premature deaths annually.
Resilience against natural disasters: With bidirectional charging, ZEVs can serve as backup power sources for disaster shelters, medical offices, and phones in case of power outages.

Furthermore, the geography and weather conditions of many island nations are uniquely suited for zero-emission vehicle deployments. Short distances require smaller batteries, which reduce vehicle costs; warm temperatures maximize battery performance; abundant sunshine and wind maximizes renewable energy generation; and locally produced electricity significantly reduces the need for diesel to be shipped in, which reduces the operational costs of moving people and goods.

The transition isn’t just possible – it’s happening now.

The feasibility of a zero-emission future has been proven, and the change is already happening across the globe. The vehicles exist, the infrastructure is being built, and policy is falling in line.

Global data shows that the path is clear:

ZEV models are available: Over 800 zero-emission truck and bus models are available worldwide, with at least 18 ZEV-producing manufacturers present in the Caribbean.
Cost parity: With the right policy support and financing, electric buses and light trucks can already be cheaper to own and operate than diesel vehicles.
Vehicle range: Zero-emission trucks and buses can go between 110 and 800 kilometers on a single charge, more than enough to satisfy the vast majority of fleet needs.

Targeted collaborations will shape the future.

The challenges, benefits, and opportunities are clear. As a coalition, ZEVIT intends to work with OEMs, ministries, development finance institutions, fleet operators, tourism companies, and other stakeholders to advance carbon-free solutions. Together, we can learn from one another and more effectively bring forth our zero-emission future.

ZEVIT members intend to work on the following areas:

Electric bus deployments: Launch early demonstration projects supported by global best practices.
Long-term infrastructure planning: Plan where and when charging infrastructure will be needed and make sure the grid is ready.
Supply-side mandates: Advance binding regulation that establishes minimum numbers of ZE-MHDVs to be sold each year.
Demand aggregation: Combine demand across fleets and countries to procure at scale, obtaining better pricing and improving finance.
Investment de-risking: Use concessional funding (public or donor) to mitigate risks for private capital to be invested in electrification projects.
Distributed energy resources: Include on-site energy generation and storage resources to reduce impact on the grid, improve resilience and boost clean electricity use.