2035 NDC and EV100:
What the New Global Standards Mean
for Corporate Fleet Transition

On March 10, KoSIF, the Secretariat of the CDP Korea Committee, hosted the 2026 CDP Korea Conference at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel.

Under the theme of “Transition,” the conference brought together stakeholders from the corporate, financial, and policy sectors to discuss how the transition to a low-carbon economy can be implemented in practice.

2035 NDC and EV100: New Global Standards for Transition

Breakout Session A focused on Korea’s enhanced 2035 NDC discussion for the transport sector and the recently revised criteria of the global EV100 initiative. The session examined how corporate EV transition is moving beyond an environmental campaign and becoming a strategic issue linked to procurement policy, logistics operations, supply chain management, and emissions disclosure.

Compared with Korea’s 2030 NDC, which aims to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and transport-sector emissions by 37.8%, the 2035 NDC discussion points to a significantly steeper reduction pathway: 53–61% economy-wide emissions reduction and 60.2–60.8% reduction in the transport sector. Against this backdrop, speakers discussed EV transition as a key measure for responding to the accelerating pace of transport decarbonization, while also addressing the changing EV100 framework, barriers to commercial vehicle transition, policy support needs, and implications for corporate supply chain management.

Nahyun Nam, Senior Researcher at KoSIF, highlighted that the transport sector is expected to face a reduction requirement nearly twice as high as Korea’s 2030 target. She explained that this shift is closely linked to the significance of the EV100 relaunch.

Key changes discussed included Korea’s upgrade to a Tier 1 market, the introduction of a Flow Target requiring 100% transition of newly introduced vehicles after 2030, and the exclusion of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) from the EV category under the revised criteria. These changes indicate that corporate EV transition is no longer only a matter of voluntary commitment, but increasingly a practical task requiring changes in vehicle procurement policies and fleet management strategies.

Nam also emphasized the need for companies to respond proactively in light of ESG disclosure requirements and Scope 3 emissions management.

The panel discussion explored the practical barriers companies face in reducing transport-sector emissions in line with the 2035 NDC pathway, as well as the policy and institutional support needed to implement EV100 more effectively.

Pilmoo Ryu, Director at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, noted that Korea has moved beyond the early stage of EV deployment and that large-scale corporate fleets now need to play a leading role in accelerating the transition. He emphasized the need to expand the EV100 campaign beyond company-owned vehicles to include logistics partners and wider supply chains. He also suggested that practical incentives, including recognition of emissions reduction performance, should be considered to support corporate participation.

Hyodong Moon, Associate Research Fellow at the Green Energy Strategy Institute (GESI), explained that Korea’s classification as a Tier 1 market under EV100 means that companies are now expected to demonstrate substantive progress, not simply participation. As Korea’s 2035 NDC discussion advances, he noted that the transition must extend beyond passenger vehicles to include medium- and heavy-duty trucks. At the same time, he pointed out that leading companies still face significant upfront burdens due to insufficient infrastructure and cost-sharing mechanisms.

Sunmi Lee, Team Leader at the UN Global Compact Network Korea, emphasized that commercial vehicle transition is not simply a matter of replacing vehicles. It is a complex operational challenge involving operating costs, charging infrastructure, and maintenance systems. She identified the lack of charging hubs and charging speed limitations as key barriers, and called for more practical policy design, including expanded support for fast-charging technologies, charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles, and electricity tariff support. She also highlighted the importance of a just transition that considers existing industrial ecosystems and workers.

During the discussion, Nam Nahyun reiterated that EV transition should be understood as a form of early preparation for ESG disclosure and supply chain emissions management. She also noted that collective demand from companies can send a strong market signal to automakers, encouraging the broader supply of commercial electric vehicles.

Professor Kyujin Lee of Ajou University, who moderated the session, summarized that EV transition is no longer limited to environmental value. Rather, it is becoming a core business strategy connected to logistics efficiency, energy costs, and supply chain risk management.

The session showed that as the transport sector faces faster and deeper emissions reductions under the 2035 NDC pathway, the revised EV100 criteria are likely to play an important role in encouraging companies to translate climate commitments into practical changes in fleet transition, procurement policy, and supply chain strategy.