International Journal of Technology

The outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, 2012, affirms the shifting behavior of people's movements. It encourages public transport and railways to minimize movement whenever possible to gain CO2 emission from the transport sector. Technology trends toward 'eco-mobility' in parallel with government commitments have significantly emerged in a decade after the release of document.
Last July 2022, the European Union announced a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Other countries, such as the United States, India, Brazil, and Japan, are also pursuing similar targets. To meet these goals, car manufacturers are developing new electric vehicle (EV) platforms, including hybrid, fuel cell/hydrogen-based, and purely electric models. Most of the major OEMs have plans to convert 20 to 50% of their capacity to EV by 2025, which will increase to 40%-70% by 2030. Jaguar, for example, plans to sell only electric cars from 2025. For Volvo and Nissan, it is from 2030. General Motors will only produce electric vehicles by 2035. Volkswagen says 70% of its sales will be electric by 2030.
As the global appetite for electric vehicles grows, EVs are the short and mid-term solution to reduce mobility emissions. But, when looking at the carbon footprint of emissions within the whole cradle-to-grave value chain, is the story as clear cut? Many vendors that provide components for vehicles powered by internal combustion engines face significant challenges in matching the pace of change.

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International Journal of Technology, 2017-2024