(Leipzig, Germany) 22 May 2024 – Today Nigeria and Colombia announced their signatures to the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Declaration, joining 11 other emerging markets by pledging to work towards all new sales of cars and vans being zero emission by 2040.
This signal of ambition from these growing markets demonstrates a clear step in their electric vehicle transition. The two nations join an international community of more than 230 stakeholders from the entire transportation value chain, including manufacturers, investors, and governments, aligning behind a single timeline to phase out internal combustion engines in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
As Africa’s most populous country, nearly three-quarters of Nigeria’s transport-related CO2 emissions are produced by passenger vehicles, causing adverse health impacts from exhaust emissions, and leading to about 1,500 premature deaths annually. To combat this, Nigeria committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2060 at the momentous COP26 in Glasgow.
Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, launched in 2022 to support the 2060 net zero target, establishes ambitious targets for electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Outlined in this plan, EVs will constitute 60% of the total market by 2050 and 100% by 2060. They also seek to stimulate investment in domestic EV production and strengthen the economy by reducing the country’s reliance on imported vehicles through the National Action Plan for Development of Electric Vehicles (EVDP). This plan targets at least 30% in local production by 2032.
“Transportation is a priority sector. We look forward to connecting with global partnerships and assistance in the effort to achieve our collective aspiration to keeping global atmospheric temperatures to 1.5 degrees, while advancing Nigeria’s ambition in this regard,” says Dr. Salisu Dahiru, Director General of the Nigeria National Council on Climate Change.
In Colombia, road transportation alone contributes to nearly 78% of their greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from cars and buses. To combat this, the country approved its first-ever national electric vehicle policy in 2019, Law 1964, which aims to align emission reduction efforts with the Paris Agreement. The law provides various incentives to promote EV adoption, including tax breaks, preferential parking, and exemptions from vehicle traffic restrictions.
The Latin American nation boasts the world’s second-largest electric bus fleet after China with over 1,590 electric buses in service as of September 2023. They’ve mandated 10% of urban bus sales to be zero emission by 2025 and 100% by 2035.
As a signatories to the ZEV Declaration, Nigeria and Colombia unlock new avenues of support in their transition to electric vehicles. This growing network of signatories allows for a unique cross-sector dialogue that is necessary to accelerate adoption and support electrification.
“The UK is delighted to welcome Nigeria and Colombia as the newest signatories to the ZEV Declaration. The progress they’ve made thus far will serve as a roadmap for other emerging markets. At home and globally, the UK will continue to champion electric vehicles and bring together like-minded countries and organisations to speed up the transition to cleaner transport.,” says Minister of State Justin Tomlinson of the United Kingdom’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
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About the Accelerating to Zero Coalition
Launched at COP27, the Accelerating to Zero (A2Z) Coalition builds off the momentous foundation of the Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration (ZEV Declaration) by connecting the world’s leading stakeholders in zero-emission transportation. A2Z serves as a platform for the 230+ signatories of the ZEV Declaration to coordinate, align activities, and amplify messaging as they fulfill their ambitious pledge to ensure all new car and van sales are zero emission by 2040 globally, and by 2035 in leading markets.
