Six major car manufacturers have pledged to phase out fossil fuel vehicle production around the world by 2040, as part of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the UK government said in a statement. But sources familiar with the pledge’s contents said some large automakers, including the world’s top two, Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen AG, and key auto markets, such as China, the US and Germany, did not join. .
Cars, trucks, ships, buses and planes account for about a quarter of all global carbon emissions, the International Energy Agency data showed, most of which come from road vehicles. Sweden’s Volvo, US carmakers Ford and General Motors, Mercedes-Benz of Daimler AG, China’s BYD and Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors, would sign the pledge to climate talks in Glasgow, the latest initiative to help limit global warming by mid-century. Volvo has already made a commitment to go fully electric by 2030.
Britain, which hosts the COP26 summit, said four new countries, including New Zealand and Poland, are joining other nations already committed to ensuring that all new cars and vans are carbon neutral by 2040. or earlier.
The release comes on a day dedicated to transportation at COP 26. But the apparent reluctance of China – the largest auto market in the world, and the United States, the largest economy and the second largest auto market in the world – to join the commitment raises doubts as to its effectiveness.
GM said it was “proud to now stand alongside other companies, governments and civil society organizations to support the declaration that they are committed to working towards a transition to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035.” Ford confirmed his participation and said: “Everyone will need to work together to be successful.” Sources said that while the United States did not join the commitment, key car-buying states like California and New York did.
An auto industry source told Reuters that some automakers are wary of the commitment because it engages them in costly technology change, but a similar commitment from governments to ensure that the necessary charging and network infrastructure is lacking. are built to support electric vehicles.
In the summer, the European Commission proposed an effective ban on fossil fuel vehicles by 2035, accompanied by a commitment to charging infrastructure required by car manufacturers. Even the car manufacturer no. 4 in the world, Stellantis, did not join the latest commitment, as did the Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan, the German BMW and the Korean Hyundai. According to sources, ride-hailing company Uber Technologies will also be a signatory.
