Driving the shift to zero emission public fleets

Globally fleets make up a quarter of all vehicles on the road, yet contribute to two-thirds of road transport emissions. Businesses, governments and public sector bodies all have a role to play to build a cleaner, healthier future by switching their fleets to ZEVs.

Our EV100 initiative provides a global platform for the private sector to make commitments and showcase leadership on ZEVs - currently there are over 100 business members committed to switching more than 5 million vehicles to electric. We believe there’s an opportunity to encourage, support and profile public sector organisations that are also taking action.

With ambitious cities, states, regions, national governments, and other public sector bodies around the world setting ZEV fleet targets, we want to aggregate this demand to send a strong signal to investors and automakers, as well as inspire others to do more.

Accelerating the shift to zero emission vehicles is essential if we’re going to win the race to zero. As we move towards COP26, everyone has a role to play in this transition.

Taking place in Glasgow in November, COP26 offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate that the transition to zero emission vehicles is both inevitable and can be completed on an accelerated timescale. This is particularly the case given that the UK Presidency has set clean road transport as one of the key campaign themes.

The ZEV Pledge will also be positioned  as part of RouteZero, a global platform to showcase ambitious commitments and bold action on zero emission vehicles, designed to support  the UN Race to Zero Breakthroughs and the UK government’s COP26 Presidency campaign on clean road transport. Climate Group is leading the RouteZero campaign, working closely with the High-Level Champions and a range of partners.

The ZEV Pledge is open to governments of any level: state, regional, national, city and municipal governments. Public fleets include any vehicles such as buses, two and three wheelers, light duty vehicles, heavy duty vehicles that are being owned, operated or leased for the government’s use.

Commitments are also welcome from individual government agencies, departments and public sector bodies (e.g. central government departments, regional agencies etc) within a jurisdiction that have responsibilities for public fleets owning/leasing/operating no fewer than 50 vehicles.

• To make a commitment, signatories will fill out an online form, to be submitted by an official with the proper delegated authority. 
• The pledge should cover at least one category (buses, two and three wheelers, light duty vehicles, heavy duty vehicles, or C40 Green and Healthy Streets signatory). The target date should be as soon as possible but no later than the breakthrough target dates set for each vehicle category.
• Signatories are required to provide indicative numbers of the vehicles they currently have across the vehicle categories (owned and leased) they are pledging to transition to ZEVs. This will enable an aggregated number to be calculated ahead of COP26 and support the supercharged demand signal from fleet owners and operators. 
• Signatories are required to provide information on current policies or future planned policies that support implementation of the fleets pledge. 
• Signatories are requested to provide information on additional action that they are taking, or intending to take, to support accelerated ZEV adoption within their own boundaries of influence, such as mandating standards for vehicles, or investing in charging infrastructure. 
• We recognise that there is currently a small number of specialised vehicles or vehicle use cases where there is not a clear pathway for conversion to a zero emission alternative within the stated target dates. These can be exempted from the pledge.

By signing up to the pledge, organisations benefit from the following:

• Leading by example: By converting their own fleets, governments raise awareness of the benefits of zero emission vehicles, influence citizens and companies to follow their example, and obtain practical insights that can help develop better informed policy decisions. ZEVs contribute to improved air quality and public health as well as lower emissions.
• Recognition for commitments and achievements: In the lead up to COP26, there will be a variety of profiling opportunities through media engagement, events and social media. Governments will also receive a communications pack (with key messages, Tweets etc.) that they can use to showcase their participation. For the most ambitious governments, there are opportunities to feature in high profile international events, such as Climate Week NYC and COP26. 
• Contributing to global momentum on climate action: By taking collective action through global networks, governments can maximise the effect of their local actions. Governments are adding their voice to a global effort, together with businesses and others. They are contributing to the action needed to accelerate the shift to zero emission vehicles and build momentum in the lead up to COP26.