This was the view of Greg Archer, director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, when he spoke to edie this week.
The Low CVP boasts over 280 member organisations representing industrial interests, government, environmentalists and academia and has helped shape policy in both Britain and at a European level.
Mr Archer told edie that since the partnership’s inception five years ago, progress had been made in many areas but he also outlined the opportunity for more dramatic carbon cuts in both the short and long term.
As well as high-tech solutions such as hydrogen-powered vehicles and ever-improving battery technology for electric motors, he described a number of quicker fixes from driving habits to more efficient tyres and lighting systems.
He also said the emphasis of advertising needed to shift from manufacturers plugging their luxury lines to making more fuel efficient models more aspirational.
Almost all manufacturers are now producing environmentally friendlier models, he said, and the motoring public no longer has to compromise on choice or style to go green.
He urged government to take the lead on both the international stage and the local level and described how policies in the pipeline would help to make significant carbon cuts.
Watch the full interview on edie TV below
Sam Bond