A group of businesses have signed a letter to the European Commission that calls for a binding sales target for vehicle-makers for zero-emission vans in 2025 and 2030.

The letter, signed by 30 companies, including Nestle and Unilever, also calls for a dedicated European investment fund to support new charging infrastructure for electric vans and trucks.

The businesses believe that binding sales targets will accelerate the uptake of zero-emission vehicles.

The signatories say the EU’s 2030 emissions reduction target must be increased to 55% and the bloc should go climate-neutral by 2050.

The letter says: 'Ambitious and binding sales targets will accelerate the uptake of zero emission vehicles, make air in cities cleaner, put European vehicle-makers at the forefront of innovation while at the same time making Europe less dependent on oil imports.

In short, the actions we are calling for are a win-win for our planet and our economy and need to be introduced without any delay so that the new  European Commission can deliver on  the promises that it has made and make  Europe  a leader on climate change and clean transport.'