New Zealand joins the ZEV Alliance moving toward more ambitious zero-emission targets

13 June 2022 (Washington, D.C.) – Today the ZEV Alliance is pleased to welcome New Zealand as its 21st member. Recognizing the essential need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, in line with international and national goals, to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, Minister of Transport Michael Wood signed the ZEV Alliance participation statement at the EVS35 conference and symposium in Oslo, Norway.

“New Zealand is a leading example of how a comprehensive policy framework creates the conditions for decarbonization of the vehicle fleet, with benefits for the climate and residents alike,” said Tim Dallmann, the lead on International Partnerships at the International Council on Clean Transportation, which serves as the ZEV Alliance Secretariat. “New Zealand is a perfect fit for the ZEV Alliance – they will be able to add to and benefit from rich discussions among leading governments as they implement these policies and work toward a full ZEV transition.”

New Zealand has set targets to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050 in line with global efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels, and the government announced detailed plans in an economy-wide emissions reduction strategy published in May 2022. Transport accounts for over 20% of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the fastest-growing source of emissions.

As such, New Zealand has joined international efforts to move to zero-emission vehicles, including signing the COP26 declaration on accelerating the transition to 100% zero-emissions cars and vans and the global memorandum of understanding on zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The country has also announced a target for 30% of the road vehicle fleet to be ZEVs by 2035.

New Zealand has created a strong policy framework to achieve these ZEV goals, introducing a bonus-malus incentive program and creating a live database of public charging infrastructure. Additionally, New Zealand has recently implemented ambitious new CO₂ standards for cars and light trucks, supported by a feasibility assessment by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). These CO₂ standards set the strongest targets in the world in 2027 and will lead to substantial uptake of zero-emission vehicles in the coming years.

About the ZEV Alliance

Established in 2015, the International ZEV Alliance is a platform of national, state, and provincial governments with high ambition to transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). These governments seek to collaborate to expand the global zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market and enhance government cooperation on ZEV policies, in order to strengthen and coordinate efforts to combat air pollution, limit global climate change, and reduce oil dependence. The ZEV Alliance is unique in bringing together technical experts from leading governments to tackle the prevailing barriers to ZEV uptake, generating knowledge to accelerate the shift to ZEVs within the ZEV Alliance and around the world.

The members of the International ZEV Alliance are Baden-Württemberg, British Columbia, California, Canada, Chile, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Germany, Maryland, Massachusetts, the Netherlands, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand, Norway, Oregon, Québec, Rhode Island, the United Kingdom, Vermont, and Washington.

The ZEV Alliance collaborates through monthly virtual meetings, an annual in-person Assembly (most recently in Berlin, Germany in May 2022), events at high-profile international events, and webinars and interactive workshops. The ZEV Alliance also conducts in-depth technical and policy research on the topics selected by its members. The ZEV Alliance has published more than 20 public research reports on its website on topics including charging infrastructure, financial incentives, and the just transition.

Areas and Forms of Cooperation

The Participants cooperate in the following areas, on the basis of the principle of equality and mutual benefit:

Setting deployment targets

• Sharing existing targets for ZEV deployment;
• Setting ambitious, achievable targets for further ZEV deployment in line with their long-term goals;
• Working to establish a shared vision and target for ZEV leadership jurisdictions;
• Encouraging one another to consider ambitious targets that drive ZEV deployment.

Acting together

• Creating and sharing action plans to achieve ZEV adoption targets;
• Sharing data, best practices, and other information to inform target-setting and planning;
• Taking actions to achieve our targets as appropriate in each jurisdiction;
• Looking for opportunities to act together to achieve our individual and collective targets

Promoting momentum

• Encouraging and supporting additional jurisdictions to set ambitious ZEV targets;
• Inviting other leadership jurisdictions to participate in the ZEV Alliance;
• Developing and participating in public events to highlight the work of the ZEV Alliance and its members;
• Sharing data and milestones for aggregate ZEV Alliance releases;
• Developing and distributing publications.

For more information contact the ZEV Alliance Secretariat, the International Council on Clean Transportation, at secretariat@zevalliance.org