The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, a collaboration of 21 major global and U.S.-based companies, announced today the release of a set of principles aimed at accelerating the electrification of US commercial vehicle fleets.

The Alliance was formed in January 2020, with the goal of accelerating the business transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in all vehicle segments – from light-duty passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. Led by sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres, its members include leading companies with significant vehicle fleets across a wide array of industries and geographic regions, including Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, DHL, Exelon, IKEA, Siemens, National Grid, and Uber.

Sara Forni, Senior Manager of Clean Vehicles at Ceres, said:

“There is wide consensus across the business community that the future of transportation must be electric, but that barriers to this critical and necessary transition persist. That’s why the work of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance to break down those barriers and outline the principles that each EV stakeholder group must follow to improve market, regulatory, and policy conditions is so timely and important. It signals the needs of companies and lays out a clear vision for the future of commercial vehicles.”

According to the Alliance, the new cross-sectoral fleet electrification principles represent the first ever to provide guidance on what auto and truck manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, and utilities can do to advance the commercial electric vehicle market. The 9 principles outline criteria that would support companies in electrifying their on-road transportation and logistics fleets and networks, including developing a greater variety of zero-emission vehicle models, providing upfront cost parity with ICE vehicles, and establishing a strategically sited and widely available charging infrastructure.

Alli Gold Roberts, Director of State Policy at Ceres said:

“Businesses need supportive policies at all levels of government to ensure the EV transition takes hold at the scale and speed necessary to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Policies that increase the volume of EVs on the market and provide supportive infrastructure and incentives have already been effective drivers of increased uptake and key to global competitiveness. Businesses are supportive of these policies and are engaging more than ever in policy design and implementation.”