Creating a global race to the top

In 2007, at the suggestion of the European Commission, the ICCT published a ground-breaking report that compiled and compared passenger vehicle CO2 and fuel economy standards from seven governments. By developing a methodology to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of vehicle performance, the report revealed that European and Japanese vehicles were nearly twice as efficient as passenger vehicles in the United States, highlighting the importance of effective policy and low carbon technologies. Over the years, the main chart from this report was updated many times as new policies were adopted and new governments were added. Today, the chart illustrates the tremendous progress over the last 20 years in lowering carbon emissions from vehicles. Importantly, the chart now shows that Europe and California’s vehicle standards phase down to zero by 2035, requiring the transition from fossil fuel to zero-emission vehicles.