As momentum gathers around the globe for action on climate change and decarbonisation, Transport Day at the COP26 Conference in Glascow has seen Swedish truck maker, Scania announce its strong commitment to zero-emission vehicles, endorsing the first ever global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on zero-emission trucks and buses.
The MoU is a coordinated effort by governments and industry leaders that have agreed to support and work towards the MoU goals and to facilitate net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The initiative has driven by CALSTART and the government of the Netherlands.
“We endorse this global agreement on zero-emission trucks and buses as part of wider efforts to accelerate the shift towards sustainable transport. We will do our part to facilitate scaling of solutions faster and more cost-efficiently, not the least through initiatives that spur the build out of charging infrastructure for heavy vehicles,” said Scania president and CEO, Christian Levin.
The manufacturers of medium and heavy-duty vehicles that endorse this MoU aim to reach 30 percent zero-emissions sales by 2030. Furthermore, the signatories aspire that over 90 percent of sales worldwide be zero-emission vehicles by 2040, recognising that the remaining sales share in 2040 should be powered by 100 percent fossil-free energy.
“Our work with influential actors across the transport system through Race to Zero and RouteZero has shown that the transition to zero-emission mobility and transport is inevitable, and through collaborative global action, accelerating. We have the technology to make clean road transport a reality, and today it’s clear we have the willpower to do this in the next decade,” says Nigel Topping, UK’s High-Level Climate Action Champion.
Scania said that the MoU means that for the first time leading countries are aligned on a pathway toward reaching 100% zero-emission new truck and bus sales by 2040, that cars, vans, trucks, and buses are all on a pathway to 100 per cent zero emissions and in line to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, and that zero-emission trucks and buses deliver not only climate and health benefits, but also drive new investment, technology innovation, clean technology jobs and energy security.
Steven van Weyenberg, minister for the Environment of the Netherlands, and one of the signers of the new (MoU on Zero Emission Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles said that for too long medium and heavy-duty vehicles were too difficult to decarbonise, but that technology is improving fast, and costs are reducing quickly, so now is the time to speed up.
“Not just for the climate, everyone has the right to breathe clean air, and this cuts both ways,” van Weyenberg.
“Investments now will lead to more green jobs in the coming years and I call on other countries to join our effort as soon as possible,” he said
Dr. Cristiano Façanha, CALSTART’s Global director said that for the first time, there is a unified target, supported by leading governments and industry, for when new trucks and buses should fully transition to zero-emission technologies .
“Globally, freight trucks and buses represent about four percent of the on-road fleet but are responsible for 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and over 70 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to local air pollution and this makes trucks and buses a very effective target for fast decarbonisation,” said Dr. Façanha.
“We fully endorse the agreement, and we know that the transition to zero-emission trucks and buses will contribute positively to the climate and also a push towards sustainably produced batteries and electric components, as well as supply of green electricity, which is an absolute must in this transition,” Christian Levin concluded.
More information on the MoU can be found at www.globaldrivetozero.org
