The Climate Group launched a new initiative last week called Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Challenge that unites the global purchasing power of businesses, cities, states, regions, and NGOs for electric and other non-fossil-fuel vehicles.

For U.S. retailers, manufacturers, importers and exporters, warehouse space is at its tightest since 2000, when the first dot-com boom was driving strong consumer spending and imports from China were beginning to surge.

Truck owners stepped up orders for big rigs at a time when buying typically slows, pushing backlogs at factories to the highest levels in nearly two decades.