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Japan and India-based  automakers were still at the bottom of the International Council on Clean Transportation rating.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Automakers are increasing the pace to produce zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) in order to contribute to measures intending to curb global warming.

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) released its annual assessment of automakers’ progress transitioning from internal combustion engines that are fuelled by fossil fuels to ZEVs on Thursday.

Globally, the transport sector is one of the significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Global carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions from the transport sector grew by 8% year-on-year and rebounded to a 37% share of emissions in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In South Africa, transport is the third largest Co2 emitting sector, with almost 55 Mt CO2 emissions contributing more than 10% to the country’s national gross emissions.

The ICCT analysed 21 of the world’s largest automakers on their readiness to produce clean vehicles. “The transition continues to accelerate, reflected in growing sales, improved technology performance, and more ambitious visions,” the ICCT said.

Most automakers, the ICCT found, improved on ZEV-equivalent sales share, energy consumption, driving range, ZEV target, ZEV investment, and executive compensation tied to ZEV development.

Other findings in the ICCT analysis were that Tesla and BYD Auto were still leading the pack in 2023 in the production of ZEVs. However, to maintain that edge as the electric vehicle (EV) market matures, BYD will need to shift away from PHEV sales which are currently at 48%, and both OEMs will need to expand their class coverage.

PHEV is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that combines a combustion engine, an electric motor, and a high-voltage battery. This all-in-one vehicle reduces your fuel consumption and local Co2 emissions. 

“Automakers that are slow to invest in the advanced technologies that regulations are designed to promote may soon find themselves outpaced by competitors who more wisely bet on the future,” says Stephanie Searle, ICCT’s Chief Program Officer.

The ICCT found that Mercedes-Benz, SAIC, and Chang’an were the most improved manufacturers in the rating compared with 2022. Mercedes-Benz is one of the most improved in decarbonising its supply chain with increased use of renewable energy and deployment of battery recycling and repurposing. The other was Chang’an, which announced new battery recycling and reuse efforts. SAIC has the largest growth in its ZEV sales share.

Japan and India-based  automakers were still at the bottom of the ICCT rating.

“Tata Motors is a rising star. Tata Motors increased its ZEV target ambition and investment, along with significant technology improvements,” the report said.

Zifei Yang, report author and Global PV Lead at the ICCT said that automakers were making substantial progress in the transition to zero-emission vehicles, but more work needed to be done.

“To be competitive into the future, [automakers] will need to expand their ZEV models on offer to help boost their ZEV sales share while improving ZEV technology performance,” Yang said.