An Audacious Approach: How Global Collaboration Can Catalyze A Transition To Cleaner Transportation

As the world counts down to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), where global leaders will pledge their commitments to climate action, there’s another countdown to highlight — the TED Countdown summit kicks off today in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the summit, ClimateWorks Distinguished Fellow and Drive Electric steering committee member Monica Araya will be sharing some exciting news about a new philanthropic commitment to clean transportation.

Since 2015, a growing global network of partners from climate foundations, research institutions and non-profit organizations have contributed to a rising call for an urgent transition to cleaner transportation. They have helped deliver high-impact wins by supporting smart government policies, engaging business leadership and investment, and advancing strategies that drive change. And as a result, more and more people are experiencing clean electric transportation, from riding an electric bus or e-rickshaw, to driving an electric car, to receiving goods delivered by an electric delivery van. Recently, these partners have joined together as part of Drive Electric, the campaign to end the polluting tailpipe and accelerate the global transition to a clean transportation future, delivering massive benefits to the climate, health, and the economy.

Today, we are humbled and thrilled to share that Drive Electric is an Audacious Project recipient*, receiving $300 million dollars in new philanthropic support over the next five years. With these new commitments through the Audacious Project, Drive Electric crosses the halfway point to our goal of raising and deploying $1B in philanthropic support from 2021-2026 to support Drive Electric partners.**

We are in the decisive decade to accelerate the shift from oil-powered and polluting combustion engines to clean, renewable energy-powered electric vehicles. Despite progress, transportation is still the number one source of emissions in the United States and Europe, and still growing almost everywhere else. Around the world, road transportation contributes every year to billions of tons of pollution damaging our climate, to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths, and to millions of cases of childhood asthma — with the greatest impacts falling on those least able to afford them. 

The goals of the Drive Electric campaign are to overcome the remaining barriers to scaled adoption of electric vehicles of all kinds, from 2-wheelers to big-rigs, and cross a global tipping point in the next five years when they can outcompete polluting combustion vehicles on a global scale. Our strategy focuses on advancing smart government policies that drive electric vehicle supply and demand, engaging business leaders to increase their investment in electric vehicle production, infrastructure and procurement; and supporting people-powered coalitions representing organizations committed to better health, jobs, and a safer climate. This campaign, supported by smart philanthropy, can help us get there together. 

Click here to learn how you can get involved with Drive Electric, and follow Drive Electric on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest initiatives and achievements.

– The Drive Electric Campaign

* The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative that’s catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Housed at TED, the nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading, The Audacious Project convenes funders and social entrepreneurs with the goal of supporting bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges. 

** All told, climate funding still represents less than 2% of global philanthropic spending, and the entire transportation sector has historically received an average of less than 4% of all tracked foundation funding for climate change mitigation from 2015-2020.