In the US 28 companies in the electric car and vehicle world, including big names like ABB, Lucid, Tesla and Volta, have come together to create the Zero-Emission Transportation Association (ZETA). The idea behind the organisation is to lobby for the sale of electric cars and vehicles only by 2030. Other parts of the world, including the UK, have announced this move to electric-only sales by 2030.
ZETA is now pushing for the goal of 100 percent electric car and vehicle sales across the board from light to heavyweight vehicles in the US. Joe Britton has been named the Executive Director of ZETA. Britton has good experience for this role having spent 15 years of his life working in the US Senate. It’s also good timing with President-Elect Joe Biden being a proponent for the adoption of electric cars and vehicles.
ZETA says that achieving this goal will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and secure American global electric vehicle manufacturing leadership. It will also dramatically improve public health and significantly reduce carbon pollution.
The new organisation has a five-point plan to help achieve its goal by lobbying for consumer incentives, creating emissions/performance standards, investing in the charging infrastructure and growing the domestic manufacturing of electric cars and vehicles. Finally, ZETA will push for federal support in research and development, and provide an aligned vision for electrification to ensure local leaders are empowered with the expertise and resources to support full vehicle electrification.
Britton, Executive Director of ZETA, said: “For the first time in a generation, transportation is the leading emitter of US carbon emissions. By embracing electric vehicles, federal policymakers can help drive innovation, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and improve air quality and public health. ZETA’s formation recognises a pivotal moment for national leadership and reflects the will of the growing clean transportation sector.
“The next decade will be critical in implementing federal policies that accelerate the transition to zero-emissions vehicles and help address these problems head-on. The clean vehicle sector already boasts hundreds of thousands of jobs but, if we encourage its growth, the United States can decisively win the global race to develop a new clean transportation economy and employ hundreds of thousands of Americans right here at home.”
The 28 founding members of ZETA:
ABB, Albemarle Corporation, Arrival, ChargePoint, ConEdison, Copper Development Association, Duke Energy, Edison International, Enel X, EVBox, EVgo, Ioneer, Li-Cycle, Lordstown Motors, Lucid Motors, Piedmont Lithium, PG&E Corporation, Proterra, Redwood Materials, Rivian, Siemens, Southern Company, SRP, Tesla, Vistra, Volta, Uber and WAVE.
