The Electric Mobility Programme is currently the only global programme to support electromobility for developing countries and countries with economies in transition. To date, UN Environment is helping more than 50 countries and cities introduce electric buses, cars and tricycles: Ambrose, H. and Kendall, A. (2016) Effects of battery chemistry and performance on the life cycle greenhouse gas intensity of electricity. Transport Research Part D: Transport and Environment, doi:10.1016/j.trd.2016.05.009 The UN Momentum for Change Award also sent a strong signal on the important role of electric vehicles in sustaining climate change, choosing ChargePoint as one of 15 flagship activities that were awarded as an example of transformative information communication technologies, innovative and scalable to fight climate change. (The number decreases over time as the electric mix becomes cleaner). There are also great uncertainties about emissions from the production of electric vehicle batteries, with different studies producing very different figures. As battery prices fall and automakers begin to include larger batteries with longer ranges, emissions from battery production can have a greater impact on the climate benefits of electric vehicles. As electricity generation is less carbon-intensive, especially at the margins, electric vehicles will, in almost all cases, be preferable to all traditional vehicles.

There are fundamental restrictions on the efficiency of gasoline and diesel vehicles, while low-carbon electricity and increased efficiency in battery generation can reduce much of the production emissions and almost all of the electricity emissions from electric vehicles. .