A breakthrough agreement on accelerating the transition to 100% zero-emission cars and vans by 2040 globally has been published today for COP26 Transport Day.

The COP26 declaration on zero-emission cars and vans has been signed by a group of national governments, cities, states, regions, vehicle manufacturers, businesses and investors and civil society

Signalling the end of polluting vehicles, the COP26 declaration has been signed by a group of national governments, cities, states, regions, vehicle manufacturers, businesses and investors and civil society.

All have committed to working towards 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035 at the latest in leading markets, and by 2040 globally.

In total, 24 countries, vehicle manufacturers including six major names – GM, Ford, Mercedes, BYD, Volvo, JLR – 39 cities, states and regions, 28 fleets and 13 investors have committed to the declaration.

In addition, a number of emerging markets and developing economies have committed to work to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles in their markets, including India, Ghana, Kenya, Paraguay, Rwanda and Turkey.

Volvo, which has already set out its aim to only sell pure electric cars by 2030, said today’s declaration signalled hope that industry and governments can jointly realise an accelerated phase out of fossil-fuel vehicles.

“Our plan to be a pure electric car maker by 2030 is one of the most ambitious in the industry, but we can’t realise zero-emission transport by ourselves,” said chief executive Håkan Samuelsson. “So I am pleased to stand side by side here in Glasgow with industry colleagues and government representatives in signing the declaration. The time for climate action is now.”

Alongside the manufacturer and government pledges, the declaration also sees cities, states and regional governments pledge to work towards converting owned or leased car and van fleets to zero-emission vehicles by 2035 at the latest and implementing policies to support the switch to zero-emission vehicles as soon as possible.

And as well as public sector fleets, business fleet owners and operators, or those with shared mobility platforms, have said they will work towards 100% of their car and van fleets being zero-emission vehicles by 2030, or earlier where markets allow.

Private sector fleets signing the declaration include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, LeasePlan, Unilever and Zenith.

Commenting on the announcement, Tim Buchan, chief executive officer, Zenith, said: “The transition to net zero underpins everything we do at Zenith. We are working closely with customers and partners to accelerate change. The EV100 declaration at COP26 is a milestone for our industry and one that we are proud to be a part of.”

Helen Clarkson, CEO of international non-profit, Climate Group, said: “COP26 marks the end of the road for the internal combustion engine. Today we’re seeing significant commitments from manufacturers, investors, fleet operators, countries, cities, states and regions. The voices of the people in the streets at this COP are very clear – there is no more time for delay, or excuses to be made. We need to decarbonise our economies at pace and at scale. Those not at the table on Transport Day are on the wrong side of history.”

But green group Transport & Environment (T&E) has called for the declaration to be backed up with actual targets set down in law.

With China, the US, Germany and France absent from the deal, it will take more than a non-binding declaration to clean up the largest source of transport pollution, T&E commented.

Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility at T&E, said: “The car industry’s electrification plans place it ahead of regulators on climate action. But these won’t materialise without actual targets to end car emissions by 2035 at the latest. The US and Europe, especially Germany and France, need to lead.”

And DevicePilot, a service monitoring and management platform for EV chargepoint operators, had said the 2040 timeline is too lax.

CEO Pilgrim Beart commented: “We urgently need a global commitment to emissions free vehicles. Today’s pledge is a start, but it sounds more ambitious in theory than in practice. 2040 is a long way away and the remarkable growth of the EV industry in recent years has made it easy for countries to support this date. By 2030, petrol and diesel vehicles will feel very outdated. By 2035 or 2040, they will be relics. It will be akin to seeing a three-wheeler on the road today.

“A 2040 timeline should be an absolute worse-case scenario. It’s vitally important that more countries sign up to the pledge and take significant steps to support a universal emissions free vehicle future by 2030.”

And Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, said the declaration was doing “too little, too slowly”.

He outlined: “Car companies are still talking about selling petrol and diesel cars until 2040. Considering the lifetime of a car, they will still be driving and polluting the second half of this century. They are delaying one of the most powerful climate protection solutions available to us.”

The declaration on zero-emission cars and vans is one of a number of major announcements made at Transport Day for COP26.

Other key news includes the UK government’s confirmation of its 2040 zero-emission HGV pledge and its reveal of a new charge point design intended to make the infrastructure accessible and ensure devices are as iconic as the British post box, London bus or black cab.

New initiatives revealed today also include the World Bank’s Global Facility to Decarbonise Transport – a multi-donor trust fund that will mobilise US$200m (£148m) over the next 10 years to support the decarbonisation of road transport in emerging markets and developing economies.

The Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council (ZEVTC) is also meeting with representatives today to discuss how international collaboration can support a global transition.