THE ROAD TO ZERO
Enriching people’s lives Valuable and sustainable mobility solutions for all is a key goal of Nissan
I
n 2018 the Government launched its Road to Zero strategy, which aims to see the UK lead the world in zeroemission vehicle technology. Its ambition is to see at least half of new cars – perhaps as many as 70% – be ultra-low emission by 2030 alongside up to 40% of new vans, as part of plans to make the UK the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle (EV). As part of the strategy, the Government is taking significant steps to enable a massive roll-out of infrastructure to support the EV revolution, in what it calls “the biggest technology advancement to hit UK roads since the invention of the combustion engine”. To help this revolution take place, vehicle manufacturers are embracing new technologies and production processes to meet both current and future demand. Alongside these changes, manufacturers are also more aware than ever of their environmental impact and sustainability credentials. Speaking at the recent Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce report launch event, George Freeman MP, Minister of State, Department of Transport (DfT), said that at the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) being held in Glasgow this November, he wants the UK to “be able to announce a series of tangible, specific measures that we’re putting in place to drive the acceleration of our decarbonisation of transport”. The DfT has confirmed it intends to bring forward the
2040 target to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars to 2035 and has committed that all central government cars will be electric by 2030. The department will also shortly be announcing its “first integrated decarbonisation plan”. In order to help the increased update in EVs, Freeman also said that “by 2024 I’d like to think about more than doubling the number of rapid charge points to top 5,000 through our work to stimulate infrastructure investment”. In 2018 Nissan also published its sustainability strategy, ‘Nissan Sustainability 2022’. The strategy renews Nissan’s commitment to contribute to a more sustainable society and focuses on three aspects: environmental, social and governance. Guided by the vision of “Enriching People’s Lives”, Nissan seeks to contribute solutions to society by delivering valuable and sustainable mobility for all. The four key pillars of the Nissan Green Program 2022 environmental plan – which forms part of its sustainability strategy – are climate change, resource dependency, air quality and water scarcity. Products such as the Nissan LEAF aim to address many of these issues, with a particular focus on CO2 emissions reduction. As of December 2019, cumulative sales of the LEAF exceeded 438,000 and, by encouraging the adoption of solutions that take advantage of EV batteries’ ability to store and discharge electricity, the carmaker is aiming to make a significant contribution to the realisation of a zero-emission society by establishing an entire ecosystem around EVs.
5
