Zero-emission vehicles pledge gets 23 countries: Update

Adds German government comment in paragraphs 3-4

Governments of 23 developed countries have pledged to work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emissions by 2040, and by 2035 in leading markets, in a declaration made as part of the UN Cop 26 climate conference.

The commitment, which is not legally binding and is not yet supported by governments in large auto markets like the US, China and Germany, is backed by 11 car manufacturers - including Ford, GM and Volvo - which target 100pc zero-emission new car and van sales in leading markets by 2035 or earlier. The declaration classes zero emissions as a car or van producing no greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the tailpipe.

"Germany is not going to sign this statement," its environment state secretary Jochen Flasbarth said at a Cop 26 press conference today. The declaration rules out the option to use synthetic fuels in combustion engine cars, a debate the future coalition parties of the next government still need to have, he said.

The future government does not want to take the "option off the table" to use synthetic fuels for future car transport, Flasbarth added.

Governments of nine developing economies, including Turkey and India, committed to working "intensely towards accelerated proliferation and adoption of zero emission vehicles," although no timeframe was set. Cities, states and regional governments - 39 including several US cities and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and British Columbia - pledged to convert car and van fleets to zero emissions by 2035 at the latest, "or otherwise incentivise the transition to zero emission vehicles as soon as possible, to the extent possible given our jurisdictional powers."

Retailers Tesco, Sainsbury's and Uber are among 27 fleet owners that plan to make 100pc of their cars and vans zero emissions by 2030 or earlier.

The declaration was also signed by investors and financial organisations, which confirmed support for an "accelerated transition" to zero emissions vehicles, by making "capital and financial products available" to consumers, businesses and for charging infrastructure.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council (ZEVTC), co-chaired by the US and UK, will set out a plan to hasten the transition to zero emissions vehicles. London said the World Bank's Global Facility to Decarbonise Transport will use $200mn over the next decade to support emissions reduction in transport in the global south.

UK makes zero-emission HGV pledge

The UK - one of the signatories of the Cop declaration - confirmed today that all new heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the UK will be zero emissions by 2040. The government also plans to ensure that all new HGVs weighing up to 26t will be zero emissions by 2035.

The decarbonisation of HGVs is more challenging than that of cars and vans, although UK biomethane supplier CNG Fuels has said hydrogen trials for HGVs will start next year. In Finland, bioenergy company St1 and dairy firm Valio will produce biogas to fuel HGVs.

The HGV sector could contribute much more to emissions reductions than the EU's pathway suggests, according to a report published today by research and policy organisation Stockholm Environment Institute and commissioned by Swedish heavy vehicle manufacturer Scania. The EU's Fit for 55 package, which targets a reduction of GHG emissions across the bloc of 55pc by 2030, from 1990 levels, projects a 4pc emissions reduction for HGVs between 2019-30.

If action is focused on energy-efficiency improvements, electrification and increased biofuels deployment - particularly of advanced biofuels - emissions could decline by 24pc in the same timeframe, the report said.

By Georgia Gratton