Ten Global Companies Commit To 100% Electric Vehicles

A group of new big-name businesses including Baidu, IKEA, and Vattenfall have this week launched EV100, the first initiative of its kind to fast-track the uptake of electric vehicles and accompanying infrastructure.

Following in the wake of initiatives such as RE100 and EP100, the newest initiative to focus on helping businesses commit to 100% targets to help the environment (EV100) launched in partnership with The Climate Group this week at Climate Week NYC. The launch includes 10 founding members — Baidu, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Heathrow Airport, HP Inc., IKEA Group, LeasePlan, METRO AG, PG&E, Unilever, and Vattenfall. Where RE100 seeks to accelerate the adoption of 100% renewable energy targets, and EP100 aims to increase the number of companies doubling their energy productivity, EV100 is looking to bring together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

Image via ecartestdrives

Members of EV100 will each commit to transitioning from diesel and petrol vehicles to electric vehicles, and installing battery charging infrastructure by 2030. The aim of EV100 further seeks to set out timetables for these transitions, which will help drive massive rollouts, reduce costs, and make electric cars more affordable more quickly for everyone around the world.

“We want to make electric transport the new normal,” explained Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group. “There are two fundamental problems to be addressed. Transport is still the fastest growing area of carbon emissions, as the shift to electric vehicles is not happening fast enough; and mass system change, even with Government intervention, needs much greater customer demand.

“EV100 will use companies’ collective global buying power and influence on employees and customers to build demand and cut costs. The members being announced today see the business logic in leading a faster transition and addressing local air quality issues in their markets. They are setting a competitive challenge to the auto industry to deliver more EVs, sooner and at lower cost.”

The news comes only a day after The Climate Group announced that its premiere campaign, RE100, had added 4 new companies, bringing the number of companies committed to 100% renewable energy targets up to 106. Among the companies signing up to transition their vehicle fleets to electric is Swedish power company and wind energy giant Vattenfall.

“Vattenfall delivers solutions for sustainable and climate smarter living for customers and citizens,” said Magnus Hall, Vattenfall’s president and CEO. “Climate change is one of our biggest challenges so we are very happy to join the EV100 initiative as electrical vehicles can make a significant contribution in reducing carbon emissions.”

Specifically, Vattenfall pledged in January of this year to replace all its passenger and light commercial vehicles in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany to electric alternatives.

“We will replace the whole 3500 car fleet to EV in the coming five years,” explained Hall. “With the decision we do not only contribute to reducing CO2-emissions in Europe, we also set an example for other companies. We work with our customers to deploy charging infrastructure and building northern Europe’s biggest connected charging network, InCharge.”