Amazon, IKEA and DHL have all joined a new corporate alliance in North America to further electric vehicle (EV) development.
Spearheaded by sustainability industry group Ceres and also comprising major companies such as Siemens and AT&T, the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance will help member companies to electrify their fleets.
It will also create a single industry voice to advocate for policies that enable electrification and aim to signal to manufacturers the scale of demand for the vehicles.
The group aims to address the fact that while the EV market is advancing, there is currently a lack of scale and deficiencies in policy.
Kara Hurst, head of worldwide sustainability at Amazon, said: “As part of The Climate Pledge, which includes the purchase of 100,000 Rivian electric delivery vans and a commitment to deliver 50% of shipments with net zero carbon by 2030, we are pursuing the highest standards in transportation sustainability. But we can’t get there alone.”
Ceres VP of climate and energy Sue Reid, said: “The climate crisis demands we decarbonise transportation — the highest-emitting sector in the U.S. — and electric vehicles are an essential component of this transition.
“With companies controlling more than half the vehicles on the road in the U.S. today, they have a tremendous role to play in leading the transition to electric vehicles — both in terms of electrifying their own fleets and in leveraging their buying power to send a strong market signal to automakers and policymakers alike.
“The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance is where the rubber hits the road.”
Mike Parra, CEO, DHL Express Americas, said: “As part of our commitment to achieve net zero emissions from transport activities by 2050 globally, we have set the ambitious interim target of performing 70% of first- and last-mile operations with green vehicles by 2025. Electric vehicles will play an important role in reaching that target, so we very much welcome the Alliance’s efforts to realize the potential of EVs and accelerate their production and integration into transport networks around the world.”
Steven Moelk, project implementation manager, zero emission delivery, at IKEA Retail US, said: ”We have a commitment to use electric vehicles for all of our in-home furniture deliveries by 2025, and we know that we’ll need to collaborate with our partners to make it happen.
“We’re excited to team up with like-minded companies and work together toward an improved electric vehicle market and supportive policies through the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance.”
(Pictured: A Renault electric vehicle, image credit Renault)
