Bus Manufacturers Commit to Bring Cleaner ‘Soot-Free’ Buses to 20 Megacities

by CCAC secretariat - 27 September, 2017
Press Release: BYD, Cummins, Scania and Volvo Buses to work with cities to adopt bus fleets equipped with the latest in clean power technologies to tackle climate change and air pollution

Four of the world’s largest bus and engine manufacturers have committed today to make it easier for major cities to purchase buses equipped with low emissions technologies, in order to tackle climate change and toxic air pollution. BYD, Cummins, Scania and Volvo Buses will ensure ‘soot-free’ engine technology is available for purchase in 20 megacities beginning in 2018. The manufacturers will each release through their websites a full product portfolio available in each city and will begin publicly reporting the number of soot-free buses sold in each year.

Soot free is defined as including any engine that meets Euro VI norms first established in Europe or EPA 2010 norms first established in the United States, and any diesel engine with a diesel particulate filter, gas-powered engine, or a dedicated electric drive engine. Further reductions in climate impacts of soot-free buses are achievable with low-carbon fuels and engines that deliver the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

I’m confident with this commitment matched by the actions in our cities we will soon see the rapid end of high polluting buses on our streets.
Claudio Orrego

The cities involved in the scheme are, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Lagos, Lima, Manila, Mexico City, Nairobi, Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Sydney.

Less than 20% of all buses sold globally meet the definition of soot-free, with the vast majority being diesel powered. Older generation diesel technology produces high levels of black carbon emissions, or soot, which are amongst the most dangerous pollutants for public health and a major contributor to climate change.   The cleanest buses today can reduce these emissions by more than 99 percent.

The Global Industry Partnership on Soot-Free Clean Bus Fleets is an initiative led by C40 Cities, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Centro Mario Molina Chile and UN Environment. The commitment was announced at the CCAC Clean Buses for Clean Air Workshop in Paris.

20170927_OCDE_CLEANBUSES_GROUPSHOT_0285.jpg
Partners committed to Clean Buses (l-r): Scania, Cummins, Volvo, ICCT, CCAC, BYD, UN Environment, C40, and the City of Santiago
Investment in technology, products, and business models that benefits people and our environment isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business
Erik Solheim

"In Santiago, air pollution has been a prime challenge for the last three decades and buses are the major source for particulate matter and NOx pollution in the city,” said Governor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego. “Santiago was the first city in the country to commit to soot-free bus technology. But we can only succeed in creating cleaner air if we collaborate with the private sector to make this happen. I am pleased to see the global bus industry respond with their own commitment to bring these sustainable and clean buses to our cities. I’m confident with this commitment matched by the actions in our cities we will soon see the rapid end of high polluting buses on our streets.”

“I welcome the commitment of these bus manufacturers to respond to the desire of mayors to make cleaner, safer engine technologies available to millions of citizens in the global south,” said C40 Executive Director, Mark Watts. “This is yet another example of cities and the private sector working together to tackle the most urgent challenges that we face.”

“Air pollution is the leading environmental health risk today affecting millions of people, particularly those in our growing cities. This agreement between some of the world’s leading bus manufacturers and some of the biggest cities in the world is an example of forward thinking private and public cooperation,” said Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. “Investment in technology, products, and business models that benefits people and our environment isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business.”

UN Environment, along with ICCT, Canada, the U.S. and Switzerland, lead the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles and Engines Initiative to reduce air pollution from diesel engines in all economic sectors, by promoting adoption of clean fuel and vehicle regulations and supporting policy development and implementation. UN Environment host the Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat. 

Read the Committment here

About ICCT

The International Council on Clean Transportation is an independent nonprofit organization founded to provide first-rate, unbiased research and technical analysis to environmental regulators. Our mission is to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation, in order to benefit public health and mitigate climate change.

About the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

C40 Cities connects more than 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing 650+ million people and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens. C40’s work is made possible by our three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Realdania. To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities or Instagram @c40cities and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/C40Cities.

About UN Environment

UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.

About CCAC

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a global partnership of governments, civil society and private sector, committed to reducing short-lived climate pollutants (black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons). It acts as a catalyst to create, implement and share immediate solutions to rapidly reduce near-term warming, protect human health, increase food security, and ensure sustainable development for future generations. Follow us on Twitter @CCACoalition and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ccacoalition/

 

CCAC Communications Contact: Tiy Chung: tiy.chung [at] unep.org, +33 6 26 71 79 81