A group of 21 major U.S. companies has released a set of cross-sector fleet electrification principles outlining what auto and truck manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, and utilities can and must do to advance the commercial electric vehicle market.

The group, known as the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, led by the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres, was formed in January 2020 to accelerate the business transition to electric vehicles. 

The alliance’s principles represent the collective priorities of a cross section of major companies with significant vehicle fleets across a wide array of industries and geographic regions, including Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, DHL, Exelon, Ikea, Siemens, National Grid, and Uber. 

“There is wide consensus across the business community that the future of transportation must  be electric, but that barriers to this critical and necessary transition persist,” Sara Forni, senior manager of clean vehicles at Ceres, said in a statement. “That’s why the work of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance to break down those barriers and outline the principles that each EV  stakeholder group must follow to improve market, regulatory, and policy conditions is so timely and important. It signals the needs of companies and lays out a clear vision for the future of  commercial vehicles.” 

The nine principles, which outline criteria that would support companies in electrifying their on-road  transportation and logistics fleets and networks, are as follows: 

1. Greater variety and volume of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) model options

2. Access to cost-effective charging infrastructure and flexible rates 

3. More transparency on new model release timing and availability 

4. Upfront cost parity with ICE vehicles 

5. Integrated access to renewable energy 

6. Improved coordination with and support from electric power companies and utility  regulators 

7. Strategically sited and widely available charging infrastructure 

8. Technology interoperability and streamlined charging standards 

9. Employee commute & regional transportation decarbonization 

The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, which provides a platform for companies to share best practices and lessons learned, and to collaborate and identify common challenges and  advocate for solutions. Members work collaboratively to leverage their collective power and  influence of the private sector to aggregate and signal demand for EVs to increase the production of new and increased volumes of EV models, accelerate EV market growth and economies of scale, promote the adoption of supportive policies and the removal of policy barriers, and foster peer-to-peer learning on industry best practices.