Welcome to the Green Alliance podcast.

We're the charity and think tank all about achieving ambitious leadership for the environment.

I'm Johann Beckford, policy advisor at Green Alliance.

Transport is the largest emitting sector across the UK economy,

responsible for almost a third of total emissions. Transport decarbonisation must, therefore,

be a key priority on the journey to net zero. Strategies to support this process,

highlighted by Green Alliance, include the transition to cleaner vehicles, as well as the reduction

in car usage in favour of less polluting modes of travel. As part of its Net Zero Strategy

and Transport Decarbonisation Plan, the UK government is seeking to bring forward a zero-emissions

vehicle mandate to help achieve its climate targets and transform the car market ahead of the

banning of new petrol and diesel sales in 2030. This regulation, often called a Zev mandate,

seeks to boost the electric vehicle market, speeding up the transition to cleaner forms

of transport. In designing this legislation, one example of a ZEV mandate comes up repeatedly.

The US state of California first introduced a so-called ZEV requirement in 1990 as part of its

low-emission vehicle regulation, and ever since, California has been seen as a global leader for

the ZEV mandate. To find out more about the Californian experience,

I'm speaking to Daniel Spirling,

professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy,

and the founding director of the Institute for Transportation Studies

at the University of California.

The technology makes sense from an economic perspective.

The industry has the technology. They have the supply chains in place. And they're really just holding back waiting for either policy or consumers.

...