In February 2026, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) published a second draft of the Automotive Net-Zero Standard. The draft was released for public consultation in March 2026. In this input, NewClimate Institute discloses its perspectives on the second draft and lists all consultation responses to the SBTi. This second draft shows notable improvements but still contains important gaps to ensure high transparency, credibility and comparability of corporate climate strategies in the automotive sector.
Our main recommendations
- Mandatory volume targets for procured materials:
Including specific targets for procured materials in the upstream value chain is a welcome improvement. However, allowing companies to choose between intensity, volume, or supplier‑based targets creates uneven ambition levels and makes comparisons difficult. We encourage SBTi to make volume‑based alignment targets mandatory. - Mandatory ZEV sales share targets:
The draft creates more methodological clarity around the treatment of use‑phase emissions. However, allowing companies to choose between either emissions‑intensity or ZEV sales share targets makes the targets less effective and comparable. We strongly encourage SBTi to make the ZEV sales‑share target mandatory as the most transparent, credible and comparable target‑setting metric. - Maintain disaggregated ZEV sales targets by geography and vehicle type:
The draft proposes to aggregate regional and vehicle type specific pathways into a single global target. This risks masking slower progress in markets requiring faster adoption. We recommend that SBTi retain region and vehicle specific ZEV sales targets for validation and verification to ensure clarity, ambition and accountability across diverse market conditions.
The input to the second draft of the Automotive Net-Zero Standard also builds on our previous position paper to the SBTi’s Corporate Net Zero Standard v2.0 (CNZS v2.0) second draft from December 2026.
