A group of fourteen of the world’s largest cities came together at the UN COP15 climate summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday to form the ‘C40 Electric Vehicle Network’, which will work collectively in four areas of municipal action that they see as critical to the successful introduction of electric vehicles.
The cities–Bogota, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Copenhagen, Delhi, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Sydney, have pledged to-
- 1. Facilitate the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure and related electricity supply systems in collaboration with local utilities.
- 2. Work with relevant stakeholders to streamline permitting processes associated with charging equipment to encourage the safe and expeditious installation on customer premises and elsewhere.
- 3. Coordinate monetary and non-monetary incentives available to the general public and organizations purchasing electric vehicles, and contribute to the package appropriately.
- 4. Develop and publish a plan to mobilize demand for electric vehicles in city fleets for the period 2010 - 2013 and rally private fleets to the safe end.
The C40 group will include input from not only municipal/governmental agencies, but from NGO's such as the Clinton Climate Initiative and private sector partners BYD, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Nissan and Renault.By advising on vehicle specifications, charging parameters, business models for electricity supply, and incentives, these companies will help the cities craft electric vehicle policies, as well as advise on vehicle procurement and infrastructure development and investment decisions.
In a statement read at the climate summit, former United States President Bill Clinton Said "By bringing together cities and private sector companies to make electric vehicles a viable option for every driver, this network will help improve air quality, create more sustainable, good-paying jobs, and establish new models for other cities to follow."
[SOURCE:gas2.0]
