News

Vision paper presented by key actors to scale up mass market for zero-emission freight vehicles

9 December 2019 - Madrid. On the occasion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 25th Conference of Parties, the Zero-Emission Freight Vehicle (ZEFV) ACTion Group has created a common vision together with key players working to scale up the global mass market for zero-emission freight vehicles.

As part of the broad coalition convened under the Action towards Climate-friendly Transport (ACT) initiative launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in September, the Zero-Emission Freight Vehicle (ZEFV) ACTion Group has created a common vision together with key players working to scale up the global mass market for zero-emission freight vehicles. The goal: increase ambitious action in the decarbonisation of freight and move the world closer to achieving the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The members of the diverse, multi-stakeholder ZEFV ACTion Group are living up to the commitment made at the UN Climate Action Summit - to transform transport and help the world realise its climate commitments. Transport is the fastest growing emissions sector and is responsible for 28% of energy-related GHG emissions. On it’s own, freight transport is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions with 62% of freight emissions being generated by road freight. Freight must be tackled as part of any comprehensive and effective action on transport decarbonisation.

The members of the ZEFV ACTion Group was formed during their first meeting in October 2019 in The Hague. They are not only sharing best practices and learning from one another, but also aim to align their work and actions around freight decarbonisation to have a bigger impact. As they further solidify their cooperation, their work will accelerate zero-emission freight vehicle uptake and help manufacturers better respond to market signals - making zero-emission freight vehicles commercially viable by 2025 and dominant by 2040. Some of the ways in which they will do this is by working with government to show strong leadership and adopt policies that support an enabling environment for zero-emissions freight vehicles, while rolling out such vehicles where possible, scaling up suitable infrastructure for operation, and signaling to the market the need for more clean vehicles.

The demand for zero-emission freight vehicles is palpable and it continues to grow, thanks in part to the efforts of the ZEFV ACTion Group, channeling demand, communicating current and future activities as they relate to freight, and identifying synergies and gaps. After UNFCCC COP25, the momentum created through the ZEFV ACTion Group will foster innovations by connecting an increasing number of stakeholders from the private sector, governments at all levels, NGOs, and academia. Undoubtedly, the needed transformation of the sector is urgent and the efforts of the ZEFV ACTion Group can facilitate the transition to zero-emission freight on a large scale.

The ZEFV ACTion Group is championed by the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance (TDA) in collaboration with CALSTART/Drive to Zero. More information about the ZEFV ACTion Group available here.