Cities, councils and businesses have teamed up to call on car manufacturers to boost production of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs).

The ZEV Challenge is being led by The Climate Group and C40 Cities and supported by California, New York City, Paris, EDF Energy, LeasePlan and Unilever, among others.

It aims to see global authorities and organisations use their purchasing and policy influence to accelerate the adoption of low carbon vehicles around the world by stepping up production to satisfy growing demand.

The group has asked automakers to signal their willingness to work towards “an endgame for combustion engine vehicles” and commit to a percentage of clean car sales by 2025.

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, said: “It is time to talk about the endgame for the combustion engine and speed up the move from vehicles whose emissions pose health risks and a growing contribution to climate change. We want automotive companies to do more to help us get there.”