Vehicle Electrification
Vehicle Electrification
From Point A to Point EV: Electrifying How We Get Around
Electric vehicles are quickly becoming mainstream, but we've still got a long way to go. To decarbonize transportation, the world needs to adopt passenger electric vehicles at an even greater scale. Then we need to think bigger — and longer. The next frontiers of electrification will be the vehicles that move the world's goods and people across oceans and continents. Long-haul trucks, ships, and planes require enormous amounts of energy, delivered over sustained periods, which has kept heavy transport locked into fossil fuels. But breakthroughs in batteries, charging, and vehicle design could change that, opening the door to zero-emissions transport at every scale. If we get it right, electrification won’t just clean up our daily commutes — it will slash gigatons of CO₂, displace millions of barrels of oil a day, and redefine how the world moves across land, sea, and sky.
Emissions at stake in 2050: 9.4 Gigatons
Innovation Imperatives
Innovation Imperatives
Critical needs that can help accelerate the path to net zero
Advanced EV Charging
Develop solutions that enable faster charging and unlock accelerated grid integration
Slow charging and grid stress remain barriers to EV adoption at scale. Advanced charging solutions — including ultra-fast systems, smart load management, and bidirectional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration — can enable EVs to recharge in minutes while supporting grid stability. By turning millions of parked vehicles into flexible energy assets, these technologies can reduce infrastructure strain, accelerate renewable integration, and make electrified transport more resilient and convenient.
Battery Performance
Improve energy density, safety, cost, and charging speed while reducing reliance on critical materials
Batteries are the backbone of vehicle electrification, but current technologies face trade-offs in cost, performance, and material intensity. Innovations that increase energy density, extend lifespan, and allow faster, safer charging — while reducing dependence on scarce critical minerals like cobalt and nickel — are essential to scaling EVs affordably and sustainably. Breakthroughs in next-generation chemistries, solid-state designs, and recycling could make EV batteries cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable.
Moonshots
Moonshots
High-risk, high-reward innovations that could radically reshape our path to net zero
Onboard Power Generation
Develop compact, high-density power sources (e.g., nuclear shipping, high-efficiency solar vehicle integration)
A transformative alternative to today’s storage-heavy systems is to generate clean power onboard. Concepts range from small modular nuclear reactors for container ships to advanced solar integration for trucks, enabling near-limitless operation without reliance on external refueling. Though fraught with technical, safety, and regulatory hurdles, compact onboard generation could revolutionize heavy transport by delivering vast amounts of energy with zero emissions.
Remote Power
Develop microwave or laser power transmission for aircraft, heavy road vehicles, and shipping propulsion
Instead of carrying all their energy onboard, vehicles could one day be powered remotely. Remote power concepts — such as wireless microwave or laser transmission — would beam clean energy directly to aircraft, ships, or heavy trucks in motion. Still highly experimental, this approach could eliminate the weight and size constraints of batteries, unlocking continuous, long-range electric transport with minimal onboard storage.
Ultra-High-Density Energy Storage
Achieve 1,000+ Wh/kg batteries or fuel cells for shipping and aviation
Energy storage remains the ultimate bottleneck for electrifying aviation and shipping. A moonshot goal of developing batteries or fuel cells with over 1,000 Wh/kg — several times higher than today’s best commercial cells — would make fully electric long-haul flight and ocean shipping practical. Achieving this leap in storage capacity would open the door to zero-carbon global transport, reshaping trade and travel as we know it.
Tech Categories
Tech Categories
Groupings of climate technologies
| Cluster Name | Readiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Battery Technologies | Pilot | |
Advanced battery technologies include advancements in batteries that offer significantly higher energy density, faster charging times, longer lifespans, and improved safety. They include improvements in the chemical makeup of the battery packs themselves, but also innovations in packaging and management technology. | ||
| Battery Electric Vehicles | Commercial | |
Battery electric vehicles, also known as all-electric vehicles, are powered solely by electricity stored in a rechargeable battery pack, with no internal combustion engine or fuel tank. | ||
| Charging Infrastructure | Commercial | |
Charging infrastructure consists of the electric vehicle charging stations, supporting electrical equipment, and grid connections that enable the “refueling” of EVs. | ||
| Hybrids | Commercial | |
Hybrids use both electric motors and internal combustion engines for power. | ||
| Low-Emission Powertrain Vehicles | Pilot | |
Low-Emission Powertrain Vehicles use other types of powertrains, like hydrogen fuel cells, to power a motor. |
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