SWEDISH commercial-vehicles manufacturer Scania has endorsed a first ever global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on zero-emission trucks and buses, as announced at the COP26 summit being held in Glasgow, Scotland, presently.
It 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, it explains. The initiative is driven by CALSTART and the government of the Netherlands, it confirms.
The COP26 summit brings parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, according to the organisation.
“We endorse this global agreement on zero-emission trucks and buses as part of wider efforts to accelerate the shift towards sustainable transport,” said Scania president and CEO Christian Levin.
“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,” he added.
ZEB SALES
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 more than 90 per cent 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, it’s reported.
“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,” said Nigel Topping, UK’s high-level ‘climate action champion’.
“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,” he explained.
In overview, the MoU means that for the first time:
• Leading countries are aligned on a pathway toward reaching 100 per cent zero-emission new truck and bus sales by 2040.
• 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.
• 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.
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CLEAN AIR
“For too long our medium and heavy-duty vehicles were too difficult to decarbonise – but 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,” said Steven van Weyenberg, minister for the Environment of the Netherlands, one of the signers of the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Zero-emission Medium and Heavy-duty Vehicles.
“This cuts both ways: investments now will lead to more green jobs in the coming years. I call on other countries to join our effort as soon as possible,” he said.
CALSTART global director Dr. Cristiano Façanha said: “For the first time we have 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 per cent of the on-road fleet, but are responsible for 36 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and over 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to local air pollution.
“This makes trucks and buses a very effective target for fast decarbonisation,” he said.
Levin concluded: “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.”
Photography: courtesy Scania Europe