Outreach & Events

2025

In October 2025, the center hosted a delegation of high-level World Bank leadership and government officials of Global South countries in Davis, California. The workshop focused on deepening knowledge and advancing country capstone projects, moving from concepts to practical design and implementation. Key thematic deep dives included supply-side regulatory frameworks and battery end-of-life management. Participants also got an opportunity to visit Caltrans, PG&E, ZUM, and RePurpose Energy facilities.

In September 2025, the center in partnership with University of California’s Alianza MX, successfully convened the kick-off event for the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Binational Working Group at La Casa de la Universidad de California in Mexico City. This pivotal gathering brought together government representatives, industry leaders, and academics from both Mexico and California to discuss a joint research agenda on the transition to sustainable transportation. The launch of the working group builds on the Letter of Intent to Collaborate between the center and Alianza MX and Mexico’s Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI), with a shared mission to ensure that rigorous research directly informs and aligns policy on ZEVs across the region.

In September 2025, California Governor Newsom and H.E. President Ruto signed the California Kenya MOU to deepen cooperation on cutting pollution, advancing clean energy, and strengthening trade. The MOU formally designates ITS-Davis (global South center) as the secretariat and the primary liaison for this partnership.

In August 2025, ITS-Davis (lead by the Global South center) lead a California delegation to Kenya and Nigeria to advance climate action, trade, and university partnerships, where they announced the launch of the Africa Clean Transportation (ACT) Initiative in a meeting with H.E. President William Ruto of Kenya. The ACT Initiative will be headquartered in Nairobi and will establish the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Transportation and Energy for Africa, the first initiative of its kind on the continent.

In May 2025, the center hosted university representatives, and policy makers from 10 Global South countries for a 3-day workshop on ‘Designing Supply Side Regulations for Advancing Vehicle Electrification’. The workshop was aimed to help build technical capacity in the countries to adopt robust policy frameworks that can unlock the potential environmental, fiscal and industrial policy benefits of a clean transportation transition.

In April 2025, as part of SF Climate Week 2025, ITS-Davis (lead by the Global South center) joined with the California State Transportation Agency and the Bay Area Council to host a forum focused on deepening collaboration between California and Africa. With a spotlight on transportation decarbonization, this forum focused on areas of shared interest ripe for policy sharing, academic exchange, investment, and trade. The forum brought together leaders from Kenya, Nigeria, the State of California, and ITS-Davis to uplift and explore future pathways for sustained and meaningful climate and economic engagement. Participants included UC Davis Chancellor May, California Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis, California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin, and San Francisco Mayor Lurie.

In April 2025, The India ZEV Research Center hosted the webinar ‘Roadmap for ZET adoption in Telangana’ present findings from the research publication on ZET adoption in the Indian state of Telangana followed by a panel discussion with representatives from Telangana state government, OEM, fleet operator and shipper.

In January 2025, the Global South Center for Clean Transportation at ITS Davis hosted an inter-ministerial senior delegation from the Government of Mexico, with strategic engagements in Washington DC and California. The purpose of this visit was to enhance US-Mexico bilateral cooperation and identify key areas of mutual interest including zero-emission vehicle transitions, infrastructure, public transit, industrial policy, and strengthening sub-national cooperation. The delegation met with key stakeholders from national and sub-national governments, research organizations, and industry leaders.

In December, 2024 the Global South Centre Director Aditya Ramji joined a trip led by the Secretary to Nigeria and Kenya. The Global South Center has been working with California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin on the California-Africa Climate and Economic Partnership, which is focused on clean transportation and energy. Following the the California-Africa Climate and Economic Forum in San Francisco, ITS-Davis hosted a delegation of ambassadors and transportation officials from Kenya and Nigeria to discuss how new research can deepen the ties between California and Africa.

In December 2024, the ITS-Davis India ZEV Centre—in partnership with the US SPEC Office, ClimateWorks, the World Resources Institute, and the International Council on Clean Transportation—hosted an Indian delegation on the development of greenhouse gas regulations in India for heavy duty trucks. The delegation was led by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. The visit included meetings in California with CARB, a site visit of the hydrogen fueling facility at the Port of Oakland, meetings in Michigan with the EPA, and in Washington DC with the U.S. Department of Energy and State Department.

In December 2024, the center represented by Aditya Ramji was part of a convening 'Fostering Equitable Benefits in Transition Mineral-Producing Countries' organized by Natural Resource Governance Institute at the Bellagio Center of The Rockefeller Foundation. The convening aimed at shaping a roadmap for the expert group tasked with advancing Actionable Recommendation #1 of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Principles for Critical Energy Transition Minerals.

In August 2024, The India and Global South Center jointly organized and participated in the August Asia Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) Partnership Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, in partnership with UN agencies, NREL, and the US Government to support clean transportation action in the Asia Pacific region.

In June 2024,the India ZEV Centre and ITF co-hosted a session with NDC Transport Initiative for Asia at a workshop organized by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Bangkok, Thailand. Panelists Anannya Das, Rijhul Ladha, representatives of Asian Development Bank, and members of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific discussed pathways to zero emission trucking (ZET) as part of GIZ’s NDC Transport Initiative for Asia. The Initiative also included a joint report by ITF and ITS India Centre on the pathway to ZET in India.