UN urges governments to make a fifth of all road vehicles electric within 15 years

Transport representatives at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris have urged measures to make a fifth of all road transport vehicles electric within 15 years to limit global warming to two degrees centigrade.

The 'Paris Declaration on Electro-Mobility and Climate Change' states that given the anticipated increase in transport emissions, the number of electric cars needs to increase from one million today to 100 million by 2030. The International Energy Agency says battery-electric, plug-in hybrd and fuel cell vehicles need to represent 35% of global sales by this date - and this figure would need to be higher in countries with the highest sales figures.

At the same time Segolene Royal, the French ecology and sustainable development minister, announced measures to help achieve this UN aim, including a global competition to make electric cars cost less than 7,500 euros, and as little as 5,000 euros, say reports. The conference has also witnessed a call for more vehicle-sharing from the OECD's International Transport Forum.