man charge an electrical car

Electrification: Latest changes and emerging trends

4 min to readSustainability
With the drive to reduce vehicle emissions gathering pace, it can be hard to keep track of everything going on – so LeasePlan has rounded up the latest changes and emerging trends in the world of tailpipe emissions reduction, EVs, charging infrastructure and more.
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Keeping up with electrification: Trends across governments, businesses and the automotive industry

Across industries and the four corners of the world, commitments to zero tailpipe emissions are on the rise. Governments are introducing grants, programmes and legislation to increase electric vehicle (EV) adoption. The automotive industry is prioritising the production and sale of EVs, while many companies are pledging to transition to a zero-tailpipe emission fleet.

Here are some key developments to be aware of.

EU shows fossil-fuel vehicles the door

The European Union (EU) has proposed a 2035 deadline for ending the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles. The proposed ban is part of the EU’s wider ‘Green Deal’ to combat global warming, and still needs to be approved by member states. The proposal includes:

Electric vehicles are the future in the USA       

In the USA, the new administration is taking a stronger stance on climate change and CO2 emissions. President Biden sees EVs as the future of the automotive industry, and indeed he kicked off 2021 by announcing plans to electrify the entire federal fleet of 645,000 vehicles. Since then, he has also proposed:

“[EVs are] a vision of the future that is now beginning to happen; a future of the automobile industry that’s electric … there’s no turning back.” ¬– US President Joe Biden

EVs in China go from strength to strength

China is the largest car marketplace in the world and is already leading the way on EV sales and public charging infrastructure. In 2020, installations of public slow charging stations increased by 65%: now, 500,000 slow chargers are available countrywide – more than half of all public slow chargers in the world.[5] But China has also announced other vehicle electrification policies and targets, including:

All eyes on the automotive industry

Meanwhile, the automotive industry is just not sitting idly by. Instead, OEMs are planning for the future, with most having announced targets of 30–50% EV sales by 2025 and 50–100% by 2030.[9] These targets are primarily focused on the European, US and Chinese markets.

A few key OEMs with promising ambitions include:

But there are plenty of other upcoming changes announced by OEMs.

[9] Source: Global EV Outlook 2021, IEA

Electrification is big business for company fleets

The percentage of EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is increasing in company fleets. This trend is being led by changing government policies, the increasing affordability of electric vehicles and rising environmental awareness among drivers.

Every year, the LeasePlan Consultancy Services team conducts an industry fleet review and produces a sustainability ranking. The results of this year’s ranking reveal that:

Many miles to go

Government, OEMs and drivers alike are making big changes. Policies introduced by government bodies are pushing vehicle manufacturers to speed up the production of low- and zero- emission vehicles, which is in turn encouraging companies to commit to zero-tailpipe emission fleets. The developments in each of these areas are important, but it is clear that coordinated, big-picture change must continue if the fleet electrification transition is to reach the speeds and impact our planet needs.

The developments and announcements covered here are just the start: there will be many more to come. Stay tuned!

Interested in finding out more about how to reach zero emissions in your fleet?

Published at November 26, 2021
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November 26, 2021
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