Blue EV buses charging.
Credit: THINK b / Adobe StockElectric Vehicles
Power all vehicles with electricity from renewable sources instead of fossil fuels.
Electric vehicles have reached a tipping point toward widespread adoption—and not a moment too soon. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector have more than doubled since 1970, with around 80 percent of that increase attributed to petroleum-powered road vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses. Today, such vehicles account for roughly 16 percent of total emissions worldwide, prompting governments, companies, and car owners to accelerate the shift to electric transport. EV technology has advanced rapidly in the last decade, making incredible strides in range, charging time, and affordability. Now comes the next horizon: creating extensive charging infrastructure, cleaning up electrical grids, sourcing batteries more sustainably, and ensuring equitable access for all.
Action Items
Individuals
Know the facts. The number of EVs on the road globally has skyrocketed in the last decade—over 10 million as of 2020 compared to just seven thousand in 2010. Still, even countries that lead in EV sales are far from widespread adoption. One major barrier is a knowledge gap around EV basics. Here’s what you need to know:
- You don’t have to be a car owner to participate in the switch to EVs. All petroleum-powered vehicles should be electrified, including public buses, trains, ride-share fleets, and commercial trucks. Whether you petition your local government to electrify public transit or opt for an electric ride-share service, everyone has a place in the EV movement.
- Depending on the source of electricity, EVs can emit significantly less carbon over their lifetime than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. For example, a Tesla Model 3 charged with solar energy generates 65 percent less greenhouse gas over its lifetime than a comparable ICE car.
- Achieving the full emissions-saving potential of electrifying transportation will call for a vast overhaul and upgrade of power grids so that EVs can be charged with renewable energy. See Electrify Everything Nexus to learn more.
- Because EVs don’t emit tailpipe exhaust, they don’t cause air pollution. A full transition to EVs will result in significant reductions in asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer—saving 6,300 lives annually by 2050 in the United States alone.
- EVs are quickly becoming more affordable thanks to advancements in battery technology, more automakers offering economy models, and government incentives. Depending on their location, EV buyers can also access financing.
- Fuel and maintenance costs for EVs are much lower than petroleum-powered vehicles. EVs require 50 percent less maintenance over their lifetime and cost dramatically less to charge than a gas vehicle does to fuel. The average EV battery has 80kWh capacity, and the national average cost of 78.75 kWh from home charging equipment was $16.36 as of September 2023.
- The typical range of an EV is two hundred miles per charge and is forecast to reach four hundred miles by 2028 (roughly the same distance a large passenger vehicle gets on a tank of gas).
- Charging an EV can take anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight, depending on the voltage of the outlet or charger. This article breaks down how charging works both at home and on the road.
- Electrified roads could wirelessly charge EVs while driving. Though the technology is still under development, the world’s first electrified road test site opened in Sweden in 2018.
- According to a AAA study, 57 percent of Americans fear they’ll run out of battery in an electric car (a concern known as range anxiety). However, 95 percent of EV drivers report they’ve never run out of battery before reaching a charger. Development of charging infrastructure in the U.S. is outpacing forecasts, but experts say more funding is needed to ensure chargers are as readily accessible as gas stations.
- Communities where personal automobiles are less common could leapfrog to an electrified future built around shared mobility. For example, Africa is focused on electrifying shared and micro-mobility options that are already the backbone of local transportation, led by organizations like Ugandan electric bus company Kiira Motors and Rwandan electric motorcycle startup Ampersand.
Choose electric public transit when possible. While driving an EV can emit far less greenhouse gas than an ICE vehicle, it may emit more per passenger than a high-occupancy public transit EV like an electric bus. If it’s available in your area and meets your needs, prioritizing electric public transit when you’re not able to bike or walk is the most effective way to reduce your transportation-related carbon emissions. Learn more about efficient transportation solutions beyond EVs in Urban Mobility, Micromobility, and Fifteen-Minute City.
- China leads the world in electric buses, with 77% of its urban fleet being mostly EV but it also includes plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell-powered buses.
- China-based e-bus provider BYD is helping cities around the world electrify their bus fleets, from Bogotá, Colombia, to Harderwijk, Netherlands.
- In 2021, South Africa launched their first e-bus in Cape Town through Golden Arrow Bus Services, which procured the vehicles from BYD.
- Tel Aviv will charge this urban e-bus shuttle with the first wireless electric road system in Israel, using technology from ElectReon Wireless.
- North America is projected to be the fastest-growing market for electric buses, with EV manufacturer Proterra leading the way.
- In India, where there are only 30 registered cars per 1,000 people, e-buses have been identified as a key to reducing transport emissions efficiently and affordably.
Take a test drive. Research shows that getting behind the wheel of an EV helps drivers overcome hesitation around adopting unfamiliar technology. Test drives aren’t just for people planning to buy an EV; they’re a way for any licensed driver to get acquainted with the future of transportation. Here are a few ways to take a test drive:
- Visit a car dealership that sells new or used EVs. Find a list of automakers who offer EVs here, and find an EV dealer near you.
- Consider these tips for a great test drive, including scheduling ahead of time and requesting the dealership’s most knowledgeable EV salesperson.
- EV events and showcases often offer opportunities to test-drive models from multiple automakers. Find an EV event near you here and here, or check out programs like Drive Electric Week and Forth Mobile Showcase in the U.S.
- Rent an EV the next time you need a rental car.
Join an electric car-sharing service. You don’t need to own an EV to start driving one. Electric-car-sharing services offer the option to rent an EV by the minute, hour, or day so you can pay for it only when you need it. These services are significantly more affordable than purchasing an EV, opening the door for many more drivers to access personal electric transport. One shared car can replace more than four privately owned vehicles—helping reduce the total number of cars on the road.
- Good2Go offers sliding scale rates to support affordable access to clean transportation in the heart of Boston’s Black community, which has faced disproportionate environmental burdens.
- Colorado CarShare provides low-cost car sharing for underserved residents and small businesses that can’t afford to own cars.
- Korean car and bike-sharing service SOCAR announced plans in 2022 to establish an electric fleet by 2030.
- Japanese tech giant Sony announced Sony Mobility in January 2022, a play to establish an autonomous EV for services like car sharing and ride-hailing.
If you must own a car, upgrade to electric. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road, no matter how they’re powered, would go the furthest in reducing emissions, but for those living in rural and suburban areas or places with limited public transit, owning a car may be the only option.
- This guide is a great place to start the EV ownership journey, from incentives and financing to comparing models to setting up at-home charging.
- Find a deal on used EVs here and a list of the most affordable models here.
- Learn about ways to charge your EV with cleaner energy even if your local grid isn’t fully renewable here—from avoiding peak charging hours to accessing renewable charging networks.
- Peer-to-peer car-sharing app Turo lets you expand EV access in your community by renting out your car when you’re not using it.
- Consider a bidirectional charging model like Ford’s wildly popular F-150 Lightning, which can help power your home during outages and redistribute renewable energy to the grid.
Call for action from your government. Governments play a critical role in passing policies that make EVs more affordable, easier to charge, and more accessible to all. Governments are also instrumental in ensuring the electrical grid itself is powered by renewable sources. As their constituent, you have a critical role to play, too: letting leaders know EVs are a priority.
- Elect leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to curbing climate change. If you’re in the U.S., this endorsement guide and scorecard can help you find out where your candidates stand.
- Vote for policies that promote EV adoption both for individual consumers and across public transit systems, with a focus on increasing equitable access. See the Governance section below for examples of what those policies can look like.
- When it’s time for your representative to vote on a policy that advances EVs, call and ask them to vote yes. This tool can help you find contact information.
Share your experience. Peer influence has a bigger impact on clean-energy adoption than advertising, experts, or reviews. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors, take them with you for test drives, and post about your EV experience on social media channels.
Groups
Professional Drivers
Encourage your employer to go electric. When ride-share drivers go electric, their carbon emissions savings are three to four times greater than an average car owner’s. EVs have also been shown to offer better performance and cheaper maintenance, even for short-distance commercial trucking.
- Ask your employer to promote EVs through incentives to upgrade your own vehicle, discounted charging, and/or electrifying their company fleet.
- Following a $4 billion deal to purchase one hundred thousand Teslas, car rental company Hertz announced half of these Teslas will be rented out to Uber drivers.
- Lyft drivers can rent electric vehicles through Lyft's Express Drive program.
- Canadian start-up 7 Generation Capital helps companies electrify their medium- and heavy-duty fleets, including delivery trucks, fire trucks, and garbage trucks.
- Ford Pro Charging offers a suite of charging hardware and software to help small businesses support their newly-electrified fleets.
City Officials
Electrify public bus fleets. City buses are exceptionally well-positioned to go electric: they travel within a small, established route and have the heft to carry large battery packs. Plus, e-buses are cheaper to operate, cutting the annual operating cost of a diesel model in half.
- Cities including Mexico City, Cape Town, and London have pledged to buy only electric buses by 2025.
- AB Volvo in Sweden, BYG in China, Lion Electric in Canada, and Proterra in the U.S. are leading providers of e-buses, including public transit and school buses.
- The Circulator in Washington, D.C., provides almost five million trips a year with a fleet of 14 fully electric vehicles, one of the largest on the East Coast.
- Blue Bird electric school buses can be paired with Nuuve’s vehicle-to-grid (V2G) platform to strengthen city power grids—allowing utilities to "buy back" stored energy from buses in times of need.
- EV Purchasing Collaborative through Climate Mayors is a bipartisan network of 250 U.S. cities leveraging their collective power to electrify transit affordably.
- This guide breaks down exactly how city leaders can take action to electrify their bus fleets.
Companies
Automakers
Phase out petroleum-powered vehicles. Introducing an electric model and announcing a net-zero carbon emissions goal is a first step, but automakers can go much further. Take real action to phase out the production of all ICE vehicles and invest in EV innovation.
- U.S. automaker General Motors, the parent company of brands like Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC, will stop producing ICE vehicles by 2035 and introduce 30 new EVs.
- UK-based Bentley has committed to producing all-electric vehicles by 2030, joining companies like Tesla and Lucid in the luxury EV market.
- Swedish carmaker Volvo pledged to make only electric vehicles by 2030, starting by introducing battery-powered versions of its existing models.
- Japanese carmaker Toyota will stop producing combustion engines by 2040, beginning with adding 70 electrified models (including hybrids) by 2025.
Power production facilities with renewable energy. The manufacturing process accounts for a large portion of electric vehicles’ carbon emissions. Automakers can reduce the impact of production by powering facilities with renewable energy.
- Tesla’s fully solar-powered Gigafactory is set to be the largest building in the world–with the world’s largest rooftop solar array.
- GM’s first fully dedicated EV assembly plant will be powered by renewable energy by 2023 and currently features a 30-kilowatt solar carport.
Reallocate advertising dollars for EV education. Despite splashy Super Bowl ads announcing broad EV commitments, just 0.3 percent of the $8.6 billion the auto industry spent on local and national advertising in 2019 promoted electric models. Companies can do more to accelerate EV adoption by redirecting funds to run EV ads year-round across diverse markets that speak to features and incentives.
- In 2022, Forbes reported a transformation in EV advertising as major automakers shift from targeting niche markets to focusing on mainstream buyers.
- Mercedes-Benz is partnering with all-electric Lucid Motors on pop-up showrooms and a U.S. road trip to promote EVs and educate the market.
- Hyundai launched EV ads starring Spider-Man to introduce their new IONIQ 5 model’s impressive 300-mile range.
Advocate for cleaning up energy grids. Companies add their voice—and their own data—to the urgent call for renewable power grids to make sure their EVs can deliver the greatest emissions reductions.
- Swedish automaker Volvo released a report calling for a faster transition toward a fully renewable electric grid globally, pointing to the finding that their own EV’s lifetime carbon emissions doubled when charged on a grid with the average global energy mix.
Ensure chargers are universal. With many automakers building charging stations exclusively available for their own vehicles, concerns are mounting about a confusing patchwork of chargers that only some cars can use. Automakers can help make future chargers universal from the start.
- Tesla kicked off a pilot in ten Netherlands locations where any EV can charge.
Move toward a more circular production model. Circular-economy approaches such as building vehicles with renewable materials could help the automotive industry reduce the life-cycle carbon emissions per passenger kilometer by up to 75 percent by 2030. For EVs, a crucial piece of the circularity puzzle lies in how batteries are sourced and recycled.
- Join the Global Battery Alliance, a partnership of over 70 businesses, governments, academics, and organizations working to make battery production more sustainable while also safeguarding human rights.
- Recycling companies like Redwood Materials and Li-Cycle recover critical materials from old lithium-ion batteries and reintroduce them back into the supply chain.
Ride-share and Delivery App Companies
Help gig drivers go electric. Since ride-share and delivery workers log more miles than the average driver, their carbon footprint is bigger—and that adds up for the company they work for. Support your drivers in going electric to help reach company-wide emissions reduction goals.
- Along with reserving EV rentals for drivers, Uber and Lyft have lobbied the U.S. government to enhance EV tax credits, rebates, and charging infrastructure funding.
- Lyft offers "green mode" on its app to allow users to hail an all-electric ride.
- Oregon-based e-mobility nonprofit Forth provides fair financing for ride-share drivers.
- The Indigo Flow is an electric van designed to plunge operating costs for gig drivers.
Embrace a company fleet model. Ride-share startups are disrupting existing business models by hiring full-time employees rather than gig workers and investing in fleets of company-owned cars—positioning them to roll out electric fleets more quickly than incentivizing individual drivers.
All Companies
Incentivize EV adoption for employees. Provide on-site charging in office parking lots, flex spending accounts for EV car-sharing or lease payments, and company-sponsored test-drive events.
Governance
Reduce taxes on EVs and raise them on ICE vehicles. Introducing financial incentives at the legislative level can help push both automakers and consumers toward faster EV adoption.
- Norway is a world leader in EV adoption thanks in large part to its policy of taxing gas and diesel vehicles in order to waive taxes on EVs. Today, nine out of ten cars sold in Norway are electric or hybrid.
- Governments can also make EV purchases more appealing to consumers by waiving tolls and parking fees and allowing EVs into the car-pool lane, as California has done.
Require automakers to phase out ICE vehicles. Mandates are another effective way to “turn off the tap” on new ICE vehicles and drive innovation around EVs.
- China has shifted from subsidies to a mandate that requires a steadily increasing percentage of vehicles sold by manufacturers each year to be battery-powered. The Chinese auto industry is now making a play to overtake American, European, and Japanese carmakers with their electric models.
- In France, all car ads—not just those for EVs—must now include a reference to zero-emissions forms of transportation like walking and biking.
Leverage an executive order to speed up adoption. As the climate crisis worsens, leaders are acting with more urgency to curb emissions.
- Following the worst fire season in California history, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles in the state to be zero-emissions by 2035.
- Other states and the U.S. government have since followed suit with executive orders to increase the number of EVs on the road (introduced in North Carolina in 2022) or fully transition to EVs for all government employees (introduced in Washington state in 2021).
- Japan announced in 2020 that all new vehicles sold must be hybrids or fully electric starting in the mid-2030s.
Offer financial incentives that support equity. Although EV prices are dropping steadily, they’re still not accessible to everyone. This is especially problematic for lower-income households and communities of color, who bear the brunt of transportation-related air pollution but stand to gain the most from the fuel-cost savings and public health benefits of EVs—from reducing asthma attacks to preventing developmental issues for children. Governments can help by offering financial incentives for EVs that are available at the point of sale rather than tax credits that only benefit the wealthy.
- The Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program offers a cash rebate for drivers who purchase or lease electric vehicles right at the dealership. Buyers can get up to $2,500 off the sticker price of a new or used vehicle.
- Clean Cars for America proposes a trade-in program that takes 63 million ICE vehicles off the road by allowing car owners to trade up for an EV.
- Reference this toolkit for resources on equitable EV policymaking.
Invest in equitable charging infrastructure. Building comprehensive charging infrastructure cannot be left to private actors, whose tendency to install model-exclusive charging stations concentrated in wealthy urban centers has left gaps in charging networks that sideline rural and lower-income communities. Governments can play a unifying role across sectors to create a coordinated plan for build-out that centers on equity and justice.
- This case study from Los Angeles offers an example of what equitable charging infrastructure planning can look like in action.
- This presentation explores right-to-charge laws, which help ensure that renters and apartment dwellers can access charging at home.
- This how-to guide breaks down best practices for building equitable EV infrastructure for charging and beyond, from prioritizing affordable options like electric buses and ride-shares to centering marginalized communities in decision-making.
Clean up power grids. EVs are only as clean as the grid that charges them. Governments can lead the way on upgrading energy systems powered by fossil fuels to run entirely on renewable energy sources. See Electrify Everything Nexus and Microgrids Nexus to learn more.
Reduce the social and environmental impact of EV batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are known as the clean power behind most EVs, but sourcing the batteries has troubling environmental and social impacts in nations where mining for necessary minerals puts delicate ecosystems and human rights in peril.
- This policy brief offers case studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile (major sources of cobalt and lithium, respectively), along with recommendations for possible trade agreements that address social and environmental risks.
- A 2020 report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development also recommends development of improved, less damaging mining techniques for high-demand minerals.
- Governments can also fund research into more sustainable alternatives to power electric vehicles, such as more affordable and efficient sodium-ion batteries.
Electrify public transit vehicles. Electric public transportation offers greater carbon-saving benefits than EVs owned by individual households. They also support better public health and cleaner, quieter streets. See Urban Mobility to learn more.
- Watch this webinar on clean and equitable mass transit to apply a justice-centered approach to electrifying public transportation.
- Consider pairing public transit electrification with reduced capacity for all cars, as Paris has done, to improve the quality of life in cities.
Key Players
EV Manufacturers & Tech Providers
Tesla (Texas) designs sustainable systems that are massively scalable—resulting in the greatest environmental benefit possible. Our energy generation and storage products work together with our electric vehicles to amplify their impact.
Ford (Michigan) offers electrified SUVs, trucks, and vans, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric models.
Volkswagen (Germany) is now offering a small lineup of stylish EVs including the ID.4, the ID.Buzz, and ID.7.
NIO (China) offers an impressive lineup of EVs, including the EP9, one of the fastest EV cars in the world.
SAIC-GM-Wuling (China) has a significant presence in the Chinese EV market, offering a range of affordable and popular models.
Nissan (Japan) is a pioneer in EVs, making them affordable but more practical by investing in charging infrastructure and energy management.
Xpeng Motors (China) offers a range of EVs such as sedans and SUVs with driver-assistance systems and intelligent voice assistant.
Audi (Germany) has great EV offerings with fast charging, impressive speeds, and luxury features, and it plans to only sell EVs by 2033.
Renault (France) is fully committed to the development of large-scale electric mobility and boasts that it has "the most diverse line of EVs."
ŠKODA (Czechia) focuses on practicality, space, and user-friendly designs. While it only offers two EVs as of 2024, it will release several more EVs between 2025 and 2027.
Rivian (California) offers a design known as the “skateboard” structure, which houses the battery pack and electric motor. The vehicles are designed to be highly customizable, with various trim levels and options available.
Lucid Motors (California) has in-house developed technology, innovative design, and advanced EV motors that allow customers to go farther with fewer batteries. Lighter and smaller battery packs mean Lucid vehicles use fewer precious metals and minerals.
Canoo (California) has a focus on repairability, upgradability, and programmable output, which sets it apart from other EV manufacturers, offering delivery and multipurpose delivery vehicles, lifestyle vehicles, and pickup trucks.
Kiira Motors (Uganda) aims to champion the development of Uganda’s domestic automotive value chain, promote job and wealth creation, and commercialize its EV project.
Ampersand (Rwanda) is Africa’s first electric transport energy company, with the longest track record of serving a commercial e-motorcycle fleet and battery swapping network at scale.
Hyliion (Texas) focuses on innovative, clean energy solutions for Class 8 commercial vehicles.
ChargePoint (California) pioneered EV charging solutions that work with every make and model of EV on the road.
Electrify America (California) is a catalyst for promoting the adoption of the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) by offering transformative customer-centric infrastructure and energy management solutions.
Electreon Wireless (Israel) is the leading provider of wireless charging solutions and end-to-end electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. We deliver cost-effective services to fleet operators with a wireless charging strategy built for scale.
BYD (China) offers leading battery technology that complements its innovative designs to create a range of safe and luxurious EVs.
Lion Electric (Saint-Jérôme, Canada) is North America's leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, zero-emission school buses.
Blue Bird (Georgia) is a pioneer and leader in alternative fuel vehicles and was first to market with electric school buses in 1994.
Volvo Buses Global (Sweden) offers a range of EVs for public transportation, including buses and coaches. Electric bus drivers can access over 60,000 charging ports across the United States.
VDL Groep (Netherlands) is involved with EV manufacturing and battery solutions and a big commitment to e-mobility.
Yutong (China) is a leading Chinese bus and coach manufacturer that offers a comprehensive range of EVs designed for public transportation.
Lightyear One (Finland) creates solar charging systems for electric vehicles that can drive off-grid.
Battery Recyclers
Redwood Materials (Nevada) is transforming the battery supply chain by offering large-scale sources of domestic battery materials, produced from increasingly recycled batteries, that can go directly back to U.S. cell manufacturers.
Li-Cycle (Canada) provides safe and sustainable processes for the recovery of critical materials from all types of lithium-ion batteries.
Ascend Elements (Massachusetts) is an independent manufacturer of advanced battery materials using valuable elements reclaimed from spent lithium-ion batteries.
B2U Storage Solutions (California) uses its patented EPS technology to deploy EV battery packs in large-scale grid-connected energy storage systems without incurring repurposing costs.
EV-Focused Organizations
EVHybridNoire is the largest network of diverse electric-vehicle drivers and enthusiasts in the U.S.
Ampersand builds affordable electric vehicles and charging systems for East Africa’s five million motorcycle-taxi drivers.
Plug’n Drive (Canada) is a not-for-profit organization accelerating electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Canada to maximize the environmental and economic benefits of an electrified transportation sector.
Electric-Car-Sharing Apps
Colorado CarShare (Colorado) lets you find nearby cars, book one, and even make changes to your account—all from your phone.
Miocar (California) is a 100% electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing service available in Richmond, Stockton, and Tulare/Kern County.
GoForth (Oregon) provides affordable EV carsharing in Oregon, Washington State and New Mexico for test drives and general use.
Turo (California) is a car rental marketplace for the U.S. and UK.
Learn
Watch
How Do Electric Vehicles Work? by Tech Vision (5 mins.)
How much does an electric car actually cost? by Grist (6 mins.)
Electric Cars & Global Warming Emissions by the Union of Concerned Scientists (2 mins.)
The billion-dollar campaign to electrify transport by Monica Araya / TED
Read
"Finally, Here's the Exact Cost of Owning an Electric Car vs Gas Car" by Christian Spencer / The Hill
"Why Norway Leads the World in Electric Vehicle Adoption" by Robert Duffer / Green Car Reports
"Accelerating Equity in Electric Cars" by Gabrielle Gurley / The American Prospect
"There’s One Big Problem with Electric Cars" by The New York Times
"Electric Cars Can Advance Environmental Justice — Here's How" by Andrea Marpillero-Colomina / Trellis
"Here's Every New Electric Vehicle Model for Sale in the U.S. for 2024" by Drew Dorian, Austin Irwin, Alex Nishimoto, Nick Kurczewski, Scott Oldham / Car and Driver
Listen
Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate? by How to Save a Planet Podcast (42 mins.)
Electric Cars: Worth the Charge? by The Naked Scientists Podcast (58 mins.)
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