Multinationals including Unilever, LeasePlan, and Metro AG have already accepted the challenge. The Climate Group, which also leads the RE100 initiative, is encouraging more businesses to join their EV100 campaign. Members commit to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and making electric transport the new normal by 2030.

“This marks the first time some of the world’s largest states, regions, cities and businesses are uniting to show the global auto industry the full scale of demand that already exists for electric vehicles,” the nonprofit said. “It brings together existing world-leading programs, which up to now have been focused on separate sectors, to amplify their collective purchasing power and influence on the market.”

In 2015, Unilever joined the RE100 initiative. Last fall they were the first fast-moving consumer goods company to become an EV100 member. The multinational is one of 10 founding members of the zero emission vehicle effort along with Baidu, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Heathrow Airport, HP Inc., Ikea Group, LeasePlan, Metro AG, PG&E, and Vattenfall.

“As part of EV100, we have committed to a phased integration of electric vehicles into the fleets that we directly control — the ones we own or lease,” Unilever said in September. “We are aiming for these fleets to be 25-percent EV/hybrid by 2020, 50-percent by 2025, and 100-percent by 2030.”

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