Other petition signers include LeasePlan, LeasePlan, Irish postal service An Post, Uber, Tesco, Currys, Unilever, Sanofi, SAP, and Zurich. Their appeal seeks to enact legislation establishing clear vehicle standards, enabling conditions and a timeline to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles.

The companies say legislation is required to reinforce voluntary commitments by 15 vehicle manufacturers to produce only zero-emissions vehicles within the next 13 years.

The appeal insists that removing fossil-fuel-burning vehicles from the road is required to meet Europe’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and to help avoid the worst impacts of climate change on people and the planet, according to a Ford statement.

EU decision makers are deciding on new clean car rules. The European Parliament and EU governments will decide their positions in June, with the final law expected to be adopted in autumn.

To achieve the 2035 goal, “EU policymakers must also establish mandatory national targets for a seamless electric charging infrastructure that lives up to the growing demand for electric vehicles,” said Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe.

Ford’s global Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report and Sustainability Digest 2022 detail steps the automaker is taking in targeting carbon neutrality across its European footprint of facilities, logistics and suppliers by 2035.

All the electricity sourced at the company’s manufacturing sites in Europe is already 100% renewable. The planned production of electric vehicles in Cologne, Germany, is now expected to be 1.2 million vehicles over six years, with a total product investment of $2 billion, helping bring more electric vehicles to customers in Europe.

Additionally, to improve supply chain sustainability, Ford of Europe recently signed on to two key initiatives that seek to establish industry standards for data-sharing between partners and the assessment of sustainability of production sites.