How corporate fleets can fight climate change

The report also highlights that the majority of new cars sold in Europe are company cars – meaning that while corporate fleets are today a significant contributor to transport emissions, their electrification would represent a giant step forward towards fleet sustainability and a net zero world.

Further to answer the question that, how cars contribute to climate change, Six out of 10 cars sold in Europe are company cars, with petrol and diesel vehicles still accounting for 96% of new company car registrations in 2019. In addition, company cars drive on average 2.25 times further than private cars. Corporate fleets can therefore either disappointingly contribute to climate change, or be a major part of the solution. Experts uniformly agree that electrification provides the greatest benefits in terms of transport emissions reduction – especially if EVs are powered by sustainable sources, such as wind and solar.

Emissions reductions from EV adoption are already measurable on a global scale. Since 2000, global transport emissions had been rising by 1.9% per year; but in 2019, they increased by less than 0.5%. The difference: improvements in efficiency, greater use of biofuels, and the increase in EVs. The latest climate science indicates that, to avoid the worst climate impacts, carbon emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030. However, UN analysis shows emissions could actually rise by 16%, leading to a temperature increase of 2.7°C above pre-industrial times - irreversibly and negatively impacting life on earth.