Today, The Climate Pledge and C40 Cities launched Laneshift, a partnership to tackle carbon emissions through zero-emission freight by reimagining medium- and heavy-duty shipping vehicles and the routes they travel. The Climate Pledge has committed $10M to C40 Cities to kick-start the development and deployment of zero-emission electric trucks and charging infrastructure across major cities in India and Latin America.

Road freight is a major source of air pollution and one of the most important sectors to decarbonize, but it’s also one of the most challenging. And according to the Global Commercial Vehicle Roadmap for reaching 100% zero emission commercial truck sales by 2040, cities will need to be saturated with electric vehicle (EV) trucks by 2030 in order to meet that target. Laneshift is designed to help make this possible. In partnership with cities, Laneshift will accelerate the development of EV infrastructure and the deployment of EV trucks across cities in India (Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune) and Latin America (Bogotá and Medellin, Colombia; Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; and Mexico City, Mexico), reducing emissions, cleaning up the air, generating green jobs, and working towards a just transition for workers.

In 2020, road freight emitted more than 2.2 billion metric tons of CO2—that’s two times more emissions than air, sea, and rail freight combined—and current projections suggest it’s not set to slow down. Through Laneshift, The Climate Pledge, C40 Cities (a network of mayors from around the world), private and public sector stakeholders, city governments, and non-government organizations will all work together to help equitably reduce and avoid greenhouse emissions. The organizations will also contribute to cleaning up polluted air that impacts vulnerable communities in some of the largest and most densely populated cities in Latin America (where road freight is expected to double by 2050) and in India (where urban freight is projected to grow 140% by 2030). By sending demand signals and collaborating across transportation and logistics sectors, Laneshift will help create a roadmap for how the freight industry and cities can work together to accelerate the transition to EV freight. This locally focused initiative complements Amazon’s federal and regional efforts in these countries.

"Road freight is a major source of global emissions. To meet net-zero emission targets, we need to urgently electrify truck fleets,” says Mark Watts, executive director at C40 Cities. “Laneshift will help to lay the groundwork for the adoption of EV vehicles in India and Latin America by decarbonizing freight in cities, resulting in cleaner air and good, green jobs even beyond city borders.”

C40 Cities is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 Cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global warming to 34.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) and build healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labor, business, youth climate movement, and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.

Laneshift will also ask Climate Pledge signatories, and a variety of other companies including financiers and original equipment manufacturers, to join the initiative to catalyze climate action in the transportation sector.