Reducing your fleet’s emissions won’t just improve air quality and protect the environment, it’ll entail significant financial benefits. Here’s how to take action…
Maintain Your Vehicles
Well-maintained vehicles are cleaner than neglected ones. If you keep on top of regular servicing and maintenance work, you’ll ensure your vehicles don’t emit excessive amounts of emissions or particulates. Tyres, for instance, will have to work harder when they’re worn – causing the engine to burn through more fuel.
Optimise Routes
Think carefully about route optimisation if you want your fleet to become greener. Try to plan routes as to avoid road works and congestion, so that drivers can drive in the most efficient manner possible. Naturally, consulting your drivers and recording data will make it much easier to plan.
Driver Training
How your drivers behave behind the wheel will have a big impact on how clean your fleet is. Excessive braking, harsh acceleration and speeding can all lead to a bigger environmental impact; not to mention increased fuel and maintenance costs. Make your drivers aware of your standards and train them when necessary.
Set Co2 Thresholds
One of the best ways to reduce your fleet’s emissions is to set a CO2 threshold. Any vehicle used by your business, whether it owns it or not, should comply with a basic standard. This clearly makes your businesses intentions known, and fosters a culture of environmental awareness.
Choose the Right Models
Even with a Co2 threshold in place, you still want to think critically about the models your fleet uses. Think about the nature of transport within the business and what it really needs. Consider the likes of mpg and size.
Eliminate Needless Journeys
The best way to reduce your fleet’s carbon footprint is to eliminate needless journeys. If we’ve learnt anything from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that many people can comfortably work from home and that many meetings can be conducted online. Think about whether physical meetings really need to go ahead.
Encourage Car Sharing
For journeys that can’t be eliminated, explore the possibility of reducing that the amount of vehicles that are used. Car sharing, for instance, could be used by employees who live near one and other.
Consider Going Electric
No vehicle is truly ‘zero-emission’, but EV’s are cleaner than their ICE equivalents. In which case, have an electrification strategy in place and determine when, and how, your fleet will make the transition. Even if you’re not ready for the move, understanding your options will make a difference in the future.
Monitor PHEV Usage
PHEVs are a nice stepping stone between ICE vehicles and EVs. Unfortunately, however, evidence suggests that many drivers use them as conventional vehicles; rarely, if ever, charging them. Make sure your drivers charge theirs and use their battery power for business purposes.
Promote Alternatives
Depending on the nature of your business, and where you operate, some vehicular journeys could be swapped with alternatives. Cycling, public transport and even walking may be feasible in some instances.
Fleet Safety: Everything You Should Be Doing For Your Drivers – https://autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/fleet-safety-everything-you-should-be-doing-for-your-drivers/
Faulty Chargers Hamper Electric Car Revolution – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/faulty-chargers-hamper-electric-car-revolution/