More than 70% of the world’s leading corporate fleets did not add any new petrol or diesel vehicles last year, highlighting the quickening pace of electric vehicle adoption.

This shift, highlighted in the latest Progress and Insights Report from the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, shows that clean, cheaper-to-run electric vehicles are quickly becoming the new standard.

EV100 brings together forward-thinking businesses committed to transitioning their owned and leased vehicle fleets to electric vehicles by 2030. The new data shows that one in five EV100 members has electrified over 50% of its entire fleet, with some going even further.

AstraZeneca, the global pharmaceutical company, has electrified more than 80% of its global fleet of over 22,000 vehicles, and has fully electrified its fleets in 37 markets, proving that electrification is viable across the globe.

In the last year, EV100 members deployed almost 24,000 EVs on the road in emerging EV markets, taking the number up to 70,000 deployed since joining the initiative.

The shift is heavily driven by corporate commitments to sustainability and operational cost efficiency. EV100 members avoided nearly 3 million tonnes of CO2e emissions since joining the initiative.

But fleets moving to EVs are also benefiting from operational cost savings while also protecting themselves from fuel price volatility and future-proofing their operations.

The switch to EVs is backed by widescale charging implementation. More than 48,500 charging units were installed across 6,000 locations globally by EV100 members.

Dominic Phinn, head of transport at Climate Group, said: “Corporate fleets are showing that the transition to electric vehicles is no longer a future ambition; it is happening now, at scale. They know EVs are cheaper to drive, they’re cleaner and need less maintenance.”

Phinn added that the experiences of such global giants provides real-world evidence that electrification can deliver across diverse geographies, business models and operational requirements.

Stuart Poore, executive director climate and nature strategy at AstraZeneca, added: “Driving change through collective action is essential – we recognise that no single company can achieve this global transition alone. Our fleet electrification is part of a broader transformation that’s already underway.”

The EV100 network, founded by Climate Group in 2017, is increasingly focused on supporting fleet electrification in emerging markets, including Latin America, Africa and Asia, where members are creating demand, expanding charging infrastructure, and accelerating the transition to zero-emission transport.

The Progress and Insights Report is available in full here.