In Tuesday’s new report, the International Energy Agency announced that reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will require that electric vehicles (EVs) account for over 60% of global passenger car sales by 2030. By 2050, the global car fleet must be fully electrified. If the transportation sector does not meet these targets, a pathway to net zero emissions becomes improbable. Methodology and detailed analysis within the full report.

The IEA findings echo the ambition and urgency of the Zero Emission Transportation Association’s (ZETA) driving mission for 100% of vehicles sold by 2030 to be EVs in the U.S.

“While EVs deliver consumers superior performance and significant fuel and maintenance savings, they also have a 67% less carbon-intensive impact compared to gas-powered vehicles over their lifetime,” said ZETA Executive Director Joe Britton. “We can both unleash enormous economic activity and reduce our economy’s emissions impact. Congress can accelerate this by adopting strong consumer incentives, investing in charging infrastructure, and instituting rigorous fuel economy standards.”

The Roadmap to Net Zero Emissions asserts that there is only one way to achieve net-zero emissions: the “immediate and massive deployment of all available clean and efficient energy technologies.” To reach this critical goal, the IEA calls for a large increase in global investment in electrification of end-use sectors, including EV batteries, electric generation, and networks.

Particular to transportation, the IEA asserts that reaching net zero emissions depends on the rapid scaling up of battery manufacturing. The report notes that the current announced production capacity for 2030 would cover only 50% of the required demand in that year. Moreover, the roadmap urges for the rapid introduction of next generation battery technology — namely, solid state technology — between 2025 and 2030.

ZETA is encouraged by calls for greater investments in battery technology, EVs and EV charging infrastructure, and electrification on the whole.

Both the net zero roadmap and IEA’s previous Global EV Outlook 2021 report embolden ZETA’s mission to enact policies that will accelerate the United States’ adoption of EVs while creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.