Opening on 18 April at Silverstone racing circuit in Northamptonshire, the free one day event will aim to promote the benefits and advantages of electric, hybrid and other low carbon vehicles to fleet decision makers.

Nigel Underdown, Head of Transport Advice with the Energy Saving Trust, explained why the organisation was so keen to be involved.

“The EV & Low CO2 Fleet Show is the perfect opportunity for us to share that with fleet decision makers keen to embrace a new generation of vehicles but not sure how well they will fit within their businesses,” he said.

“This year is a really important year for electric vehicles and, while grants were launched last year, we now have more products, more infrastructure, new grants for vans and a much better understanding of how the business case for EVs stands up.”

Enormous potential

Ross Durkin, MD of Fleet World magazine – organisers of the event – described the Energy Saving Trust as “the perfect organisation to back the new event”.

He added: “This year’s EV and Low CO2 Fleet Show will allow company decision makers to evaluate all the options for their fleets by talking to the industry’s leading experts in this field.

“There’s enormous potential for EVs in the fleet sector – traditionally the earliest adopters of new vehicle technology.”

Durkin concluded saying that the EST would play a key role in delivering up-to-date information to visitors on all the other technologies currently available.

The EV & Low CO2 Fleet Show opens on Wednesday 18 April at Silverstone’s Wing conference and event facility.

Tickets are free to all fleet operators. Visit evfleetshow.co.uk for more details. 

Following this week’s statement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, ACFO chairman Julie Jenner made the organisations feelings quite clear on more than one point.

On the matter of fuel duty Jenner stated, “The intensive business and consumer lobby against fuel duty increases when corporate and private budgets are under so much pressure meant the Chancellor had no choice but to cancel the January increase.

“By cutting the proposed August 2012 duty increase to 3p a litre from 5p a litre I think he has tried to appease the protests but has also brought himself time to see how the economy is performing in eight months. We are sure he will look again at fuel duty in the spring Budget.

“However, while we are pleased that the Chancellor will not press ahead with the 3p a litre January increase, fleets, business drivers and private motorists are no better off. Fuel prices remain extremely high so it would have been more helpful if he had relieved pressure on business and private fuel budgets by cutting duty.”

Jenner continued on to the subject of road building, stating: “Successive Governments have severely under invested in the nation’s road network. Although the Government collects more than £40 billion a year in motoring-related taxes less than a quarter of that cash is reinvested in roads and other transport schemes.

“Congestion costs businesses money, but the promised projects will take years and years to come to fruition. While we welcome the infrastructure investment, it is long over due.
“However, while few will oppose plans to ‘get Britain moving’, all drivers must continue to put up with continuing congestion on roads across the country for a long time to come. As a result, congestion will cost businesses money in delayed appointments and meetings and the late delivery of goods.”

Under-investment of road building has also been high on the agenda for ABD this week who have highlighted the ‘Cook Report’ as containing Trojan horses, hidden amongst possible useful suggestions to tackle this problem. It accuses the writer of the report of having a ‘Euro Vision’ to put a toll system in to place to pay for new major roads and possibly extend this to cover all local roads.

ABD chairman Brian Gregory commented: "The report’s author seems to have a short memory. It’s only a few years since nearly 2 million people signed the famous petition against national road pricing. The public is massively against it, but it seems that some people won’t listen.

"Britain’s drivers already pay through the nose – roughly £50 billion each year in taxes in return for about £8 billion in roads investment. Investment in relieving our congested roads has been paid for several times in advance. When families everywhere are feeling the pinch on motoring costs, there is absolutely no case for adding to our tax burden. The Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, says she will study the full report before commenting. These proposals are nothing less than ‘highway robbery’ and she must reject them outright."

Do you agree with ACFO’s and the ABD’s stance on road building? Is a purse of £8 billion per year too small? Or do we need to not look a Trojan gift horse in the mouth? We’d love to hear your views.

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Brake are getting into the festive season, but not how you might think. The road safety charity are calling on drivers to pledge to their ‘Not a drop, not a drag’ campaign and welcome the police crackdown on drink and drug drivers by new ACPO lead on road safety DCC Suzette Davenport.

Ellen Booth, Brake senior campaigns officer, explained: “We fully support this vital crackdown on deadly and selfish drink and drug drivers. Every Christmas, and indeed every week of the year, many families are confronted by the death of a loved one, or a terrible injury, caused by drivers wilfully taking these appalling risks. We urge drivers to imagine the consequences for a second and realise it’s never worth chancing your life and other people’s. Our simple message is not a drop, not a drag – please make a pledge to never drive on any amount of alcohol or drugs.”

Brake has revealed that this summer indicated a rise in drink driving, with the police reporting that more drivers were found over the limit compared to last year. That is why Brake also calling on the government to get tough on drink and drug driving by:

• Slashing the drink drive limit to 20mg alcohol/100 ml blood, in line with evidence that even very small amounts impair driving;
• Introducing police powers for random breath testing;
• Introducing roadside drugs testing and a law on driving on illegal drugs to make it easier to catch and prosecute drug drivers;
• Making roads policing a national policing priority, so resources are put into higher levels of roads policing to catch drink and drug drivers.

Visit ‘Not a drop, not a drag’ to find out more about Brake’s campaign.

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The IAM is also leading a campaign on festive drinkers with a call for drink driving warning on all labels of alcoholic drinks.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Drink driving is an epidemic on our roads. Every one of 2009’s drink-driving incidents was preventable. That 380 people died in crashes that year, simply because they didn’t heed the warnings and the law, is tragic.

“We want to see clear drink driving warnings that are just as hard hitting as health warnings on cigarette labels. If the drinks industry softens the road safety and health messages on its labels then the case for a compulsory system of labelling would be compelling. The message to everyone is don’t drink and drive.”

The alcohol industry has already agreed to provide health information on 80 per cent of alcohol labels on UK shelves by 2013. However, with one in five motorists killed in crashes during one year (2009) being over the legal limit, IAM believes that drink driving warnings should be included.

Their top tips for avoiding temptation altogether are:

1. Beware the quick drink after work. One pint with your colleagues might seem harmless but it can quickly turn into two, then three. Shell out for a taxi, get the train, or walk – it’ll cost much less than a drink-drive charge or accident;
2. Ignore peer pressure. Your friends or family have had a few and don’t want to pay for a taxi. You have your car but have been drinking. Just say no – it’s your licence at stake;
3. Driving with good intentions to a party, to a pub or to a restaurant and then just having a drink or two, puts more pressure on you to risk driving home, even if you’re not sure whether you are below the limit;
4. You are likely to be breathalysed if you are involved in a collision, even if it is not your fault. Whether or not you think you’re fit to drive, don’t take the chance or somebody else’s mistake might become your problem;
5. Even if you resist and don’t drive home, a drinking session the night before could put you over the legal limit the morning after. Bear this in mind and make alternative transport plans for the next day – don’t just risk it;
6. Many accidents involve pedestrians who have been drinking. When walking home after a few drinks, take extra care, and if you’re driving be aware that pedestrians may be the worse for wear.

–

And finally… The 2011 Fleet Hero Awards were announced this week by the Energy Saving Trust, with winners in the public and private sector revealed as well as the grey fleet management award.

Winner of the Best Public Sector Fleet category for the second year running was HM Revenue & Customs who achieved a 33% reduction in carbon emissions from business travel during 2010/11, saving 8,000 tonnes of CO2. It shrank overall travel mileage by 23 million miles and road mileage by 15 million miles.

Congratulations also go to Addison Lee Plc who won the Best Private Sector Fleet (Large) award after demonstrating a 10 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions; the win so much sweeter after finishing as runner-up last year.

And last but no means least the Lake District National Park Authority have taken the Grey Fleet Management award as it has achieved a 58 per cent reduction in the grey miles claimed by staff, equating to a reduction of over 120,000 miles over the last three years. This also translates into fuel savings of £78,000 and CO2 savings of 40 tonnes.

We here at Fleet Directory salute you and your green efforts and will be unpegging the office tea bag to have a celebratory brew in your honour.

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So until next week dear readers please drive safely and don’t forget to share your views on the stories above with us all, using our comments box below. We look forward to reading them. TTFN.

The Fleet Hero Awards – organised by Energy Saving Trust – were held at the Institute of Directors in London’s Pall Mall to shed some of the limelight on public and private organisations that are making positive decreases in their carbon footprints and cutting their fuel bills through fleet travel and transport policies.

Qdell and Addison Lee were deemed to have the Best Private Sector Fleets, walking away as the biggest winners on the night with two awards each.

HM Revenue & Customs claimed the Best Public Sector Fleet (Large) prize for the second year on the bounce with the category’s smaller variant going to West Oxfordshire District Council.

Attending the awards was Transport Minister Norman Baker MP who commented: “If the Government is to meet its carbon reduction targets we must decarbonise road transport and making fleet operations greener is a major part of that.

“So I am delighted to see such excellent progress in this area – big companies from both the private and public sectors have made huge strides in tackling this issue, using a range of measures such as reducing mileage, encouraging fuel efficient driving and using ultra low carbon vehicles.

“Not only is all this good for the environment – it makes economic sense too.”

The winners were:

Best Public Sector Fleet (Large)
Winners: HMRC
Runner-up: Northamptonshire Police

Best Public Sector Fleet (Small)
Winner: West Oxfordshire District Council
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Best Private Sector Fleet (Large)
Winner: Addison Lee
Runner-up: West One Cars

Best Private Sector Fleet (Small)
Winner: Qdell & LHR Express Cars Limited
Runner-up: Hannaford

Grey Fleet Management
Winner: Lake District National Park Authority
Runner-up: Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust

Industry Supplier Award
Winner: Green Motion
Runner-up: Lex Autolease

Business Mileage Management
Winner: Lake District National Park Authority [pictured]
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Smarter Driving Award
Winner: Qdell & LHR Express Cars
Runner-up: GE Capital

Innovation in Van and Car Manufacture
Winner: Ford Motor Company Limited
Runner-up: BMW

Innovation in Fleet Services and Systems
Winner: Civica UK Ltd
Runner-up: Arval

Innovation in Fleet Management
Winner: Addison Lee
Runner-up: Office Depot

Leadership Award
Winner: Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Runner-up: Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

Van Fleet Management
Winner: Commercial Group
Runner-up: None

Motorvate Award
Winner: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Nigel Underdown, Head of Transport for the Energy Saving Trust, underlined the importance of adapting a green focus in regards to fleets.

“About half of all new vehicles purchased in the UK are used in fleet operations, so the sector plays a vital part in determining the environmental performance of road transport overall,” he said.

“We were encouraged by both the quality and number of entries (which exceeded previous years). There are clearly a large number of fleet operators working on a wide variety of fronts to minimise the environmental impact of their operations.”

Julie Jenner, Chairman of the Association of Car Fleet Operators, was one of the judges on the panel and added: “Choosing the best entries was very difficult in some categories because of the intensity of competition.

“Fleet operators are increasingly aware of the fact that cutting costs and reducing carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions go hand-in-hand.”

The body has produced a new video guide appealing to businesses aiming to reduce fuel costs and carbon output to consider EVs as a serious option.

Presented by Red Dwarf’s Robert Llewellyn, the impartial video titled ‘Living with an electric car’ documents the reality of investing in electric cars and addresses obstacles such as range anxiety and cost.

Llewellyn, a green car enthusiast, reckons EV technology is misunderstood and described driving an electric car as refreshing.

He explained: “The video really highlights the realities of buying, owning and living with an electric vehicle and serves as a real myth buster.

“I have been driving electric cars for the last couple of years and most recently the Nissan LEAF [pictured right]. Driving an electric car is a breath of fresh air. If you really want to understand more about EVs, these films are a great place to start.”

100+ mile range

Philip Sellwood, CEO of Energy Saving Trust, added that the range of an electric car can be improved by around 20% if motorists adapt their driving technique, pushing their range past the 100 mile mark.

“Over the last few years, there has been much debate about the viability of the electric car and the part they play in today’s carbon conscious society,” he said.

“It’s obvious that there is a huge benefit in terms of electric vehicles in terms of cutting emissions on the road, but it is also clear that they can make economic sense for some organisations and individuals.

“Our ‘Living with an electric car’ video offers the perfect opportunity to weigh up the pros and cons of purchasing an electric car, and with grants and support on offer, there has never been such a good time to consider doing so.

“Businesses and consumers both need access to clear and impartial information, allowing them both to make a balanced and informed choice in their potential purchase of an electric car.”

You can watch all three parts of ‘Living with an electric car’ below.

With 11 categories ranging from innovations in fleet management and systems to the best public and private sector, the sixth annual Fleet Hero Awards recognise organisations that push for the implementation of greener and more efficient transport policies.

The awards are open to fleets of more than 20 vehicles under 3.5 tonnes and are split into the following categories…

• Best Public Sector
• Best Private Sector
• Innovation in Fleet Management
• Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture
• Innovation in Services and Systems
• Industry Supplier
• Leadership
• Smarter Driving
• Grey Fleet Management
• Business Mileage Management
• and Van Fleet Management

Nigel Underdown, Head of Transport Advice for the Energy Saving Trust, said: “We find that organisations taking action to reduce fleet emissions are actually saving money as well as helping our nation meet its sustainability goals.

“These organisations deserve to be celebrated and honoured as Fleet Heroes.”

Entrants just have to simply explain in 250 words of less why their organisation is worthy of being dubbed a ‘Fleet Hero’ and email it, along with their name, job title and organisation to fleetheroes@est.org.uk.

The judging panel consists of ACFO Chair Julie Jenner [pictured right], Energy Saving Trust’s Ian Featherstone, and Steve Briers, Editor of Fleet News.

The closing date for initial applications is next Tuesday [20 September].

For more info, visit est.org.uk/fleetheroes.

The annual event – organised by the Energy Saving Trust and now in its sixth year – seeks to recognise public, private and not-for-profit organisations that have employed transport policies to reduce their fleet’s carbon footprint and make its operation more efficient.

Nigel Underdown, Head of Transport Advice for the Energy Saving Trust, said businesses often unlock financial benefits from adopting greener operations.

“Road transport accounts for over a fifth of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and businesses are in an ideal position to make a positive impact,” he commented.

“We find that organisations taking action to reduce fleet emissions are actually saving money as well as helping our nation meet its sustainability goals.

“These organisations deserve to be celebrated and honoured as Fleet Heroes.”

The awards are open to fleets of more than 20 vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, and are split into 11 different categories. They include:

• Best Public Sector
• Best Private Sector
• Innovation in Fleet Management
• Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture
• Innovation in Services and Systems
• Industry Supplier
• Leadership
• Smarter Driving
• Grey Fleet Management
• Business Mileage Management
• and Van Fleet Management

Would-be fleet heroes just need to simply throw together 250 words on why their organisation should win and email it to fleetheroes@est.org.uk along with their name and job title. Entries are being accepted until Tuesday 20 September 2011.

The BMW Group will be looking to bag the Industry Supplier award for the fourth year in a row while HMRC will hope to add to the two gongs it collected at last year’s Fleet Hero Awards.

A date and venue for the winners ceremony will be announced shortly but is expected to occur early 2012.

Click here for more information on the Fleet Hero Awards 2012.

Increases to fuel duty and the differential first-year rates of vehicle excise duty (VED) previously announced provide further incentives to review your fleet vehicle policies to ensure costs are controlled and emissions minimised.

There will be further analysis of the implications of this PBR in the January Fleet Briefing, however this mini-guide is designed to highlight those areas which you need to consider if you plan to revise your company vehicle policy or replace cars or vans in the New Year.

Company Car Tax
The 2009 budget indicated that in 2012 the government intends to extend the system of benefit-in-kind tax rates such that they increase by 1% for each 5g CO₂ / km increase in emissions from 10 %. This has been confirmed in the PBR and from April 2012 the 10% rate will apply to cars emitting 99g CO₂ / km or less replacing the current 10% band at 120g CO₂/km.

A Company Car Benefit in Kind Taxation table which clarifies this change will feature in next months Fleet Briefing.

Fuel Benefit Charge
For cars, the fuel benefit charge has been increased from £16,900 to £18,000 from 6th April 2010, and from £500 to £550 for vans. If you are still providing private use fuel for your employees this could be a good time to review this policy.

Electric vehicles
To encourage the purchase of electric vehicles by businesses, electric cars will be exempt from CCT and electric vans from van benefit charge for five years from April 2010. Additionally, a 100% first year capital allowance will be provided for the purchase of electric vans from April 2010, subject to compatibility with state aid rules. Electric cars already qualify.

This Fleet Briefing does not constitute financial or other professional advice. You should always consult your professional advisors. Click here to read our data policy and terms of use.   

Source: The Energy Saving Trust

Ford’s ECOnetic derivatives will appeal to those customers looking to minimise their environmental impact and they can now be found included in the Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Transit ranges. The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic and Ford Focus ECOnetic models on sale next year are exempt from road tax because of emissions under 100g/km and return over 74mpg.

The Ford EcoBoost engine announced this year delivers fuel consumption and emission reduction of 20 per cent compared with conventional petrol engines,and will carry the SCTi (Sequential Charge Turbo injection) badge on production vehicles.

Also detailed in Ford’s entry were details of the Ford Focus ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge, which highlighted how driver behaviour influenced fuel economy.  The 500 drivers involved were able to improved their mpg by 33.4 per cent and the associated emissions fell by 22.5 per cent.

Kevin Griffin, Ford of Britain fleet director, said:  "Ford’s latest economical car and commercial vehicle range offers unique choice and value to our fleet and corporate customers.  From the compact Ford Ka to long wheelbase high roof Transit – all come with potent green credentials.  Ford’s broad range multiplied by huge sales volumes make us a fleet hero for businesses across the UK."

Philip Sellwood, Energy Saving Trust chief executive, said:  "Congratulations to Ford for winning the Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award for Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture.  The Fleet Hero Awards highlight those who have not only taken steps to help the environment, but also to save money and resources.  This is a great example for others to follow."

• Should you offer pool cars or company cars?
• Should you use fuel cards or reimburse employees when they fill up?
• Are technologies like telematics or hybrid cars really worth it?
• Should you have a policy for when journeys are permitted and when they’re not?

Each question may have many solutions. Not all will be right for you. So you need an independent guide.
The Energy Saving Trust provides a free advice service for companies that run between 10 and 50 vehicles. Our aim is to help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.

Click here for free advice from The Energy Saving Trust

When you consult a fleet expert from the Energy Saving Trust, you gain access to a wealth of information and experience that can make a notable difference to both your fleet costs and your carbon footprint. They can talk you through all aspects of making your fleet greener, or just focus in on specific areas of interest to you.

TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk also provides an informative article on the advantages of running a greener fleet.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced amended Advisory Fuel Rates (guidelines on fuel only mileage rates for company cars) which will apply from 1st July 2009 until further notice. Have you communicated the changes (which include lower rates for diesels) to your drivers who claim fuel reimbursement for their company car business mileage, and despite recently increasing fuel prices, are some drivers still profiting from the rates paid?

Advisory fuel rates were first published in January 2002. Since January 2008 they have been reviewed twice a year with changes taking effect on the 1st January and 1st July. The latest rates are published on the HMRC website around one month in advance of these dates.

Changes to the rates will also be considered if fuel prices fluctuate by 5 % from the published rates and it is considered that the change will be sustained.

The new rates (January 1st figures in brackets) are as follows:

*Actual figures produced by HM Revenue & Customs.

Full details are available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cars/advisory_fuel_current.htm including the methodology used to calculate the rates.

Earlier rates are available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cars/advisory_fuel_archive.htm

If the rate paid to employees is equal or less than the published rates, HMRC accept that no taxable profit is enjoyed by the driver, or Class 1 NIC liability arises for the business. In exceptional circumstances, HMRC may agree to higher rates being paid where an employer can demonstrate that the cost of business travel in their fleet is higher than the guideline rates; for example where drivers need 4×4 vehicles for off road work environments.

Reviewing mileage rates

Any review of mileage rates should take the answers to the following questions into account:

Can you be sure that some of your drivers aren’t profiting from the rates due to the vehicle that they drive?

Do the rates paid encourage unnecessary journeys?

Is payment of the full mileage rate perceived as part of the employee overall salary package?

Does your vehicle policy encourage more fuel efficient cars and therefore reduce company and driver costs for all mileage?

Have you considered using fuel cards rather than your employees purchasing fuel and reclaiming business mileage?

Profiting from advisory rate

The advisory rates make certain assumptions about fuel prices and fuel economy. In reality, there may be winners and losers depending on the actual cost of fuel at the time of making a mileage claim, vehicle fuel economy and driving style.

If you already have a fleet based on fuel efficient cars it may be possible to set a lower reimbursement rate. This will reduce company costs and still recompense drivers fairly for the fuel they purchase.

The following examples highlight the potential differences between outwardly similar cars and assume 1,000 business miles covered and diesel at £4.74 / gallon (£1.043 / litre):

Cost of fuel purchased = miles / (official combined fuel consumption /1.15*) x cost per gallon.

* Actual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are around 15% higher than manufacturers official fuel consumption figures. (Arval / EST June 2006)

The driver of the Focus 1.6TDCi would profit from the fuel rate while the driver of the 1.8TDCi would just about break even. If the higher (over 2000cc) rate is paid to the driver of the Honda Civic, a significant profit opportunity arises and it would be fair to pay the driver the lower mileage rate.

Larger cars including some variants of Toyota Avensis and Ford Mondeo are available with economical diesel engines above 2000cc, which may also allow drivers to profit from the higher advisory rate.

Paying standard rates to all drivers increases the risk of providing an incentive to drive further than necessary. Also consider that drivers who are not provided with vehicle economy advice or CO2 / MPG restrictions when choosing their company cars, may find themselves in a position where they are subsidising their employer as fuel costs rise and be tempted therefore to under report private mileage.

Combining a tailored fuel reimbursement rate with a low emission vehicle policy will help keep running costs to a minimum, while allowing regional and fluctuating fuel prices to be taken into account.

Calculating a break even fuel consumption figure

Calculating the mpg break even point for any combination of fuel reimbursement rate and fuel price is straightforward.

Cost of fuel (p / gallon*) / Advisory fuel rate (p / mile) = break even fuel consumption.

E.g. For the diesel fuel price as above and a car up to 2000cc: 474p/10p = 47.4mpg.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) database can be searched by fuel economy in increments of 10 mpg; this may help you plan future car purchases.
http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search/fuelConSearch.asp

Fuel cards

If you don’t use fuel cards at the moment, it may be time to consider their potential benefits. The provision of fuel cards to all drivers should not be confused with providing all fuel for business and private use, an arrangement which rarely promotes fuel efficiency, and is tax inefficient for most drivers.

Drivers would now reimburse the company for their private mileage. Ideally this will be based on the actual cost of the fuel used, rather than by pence per mile rate, which will encourage them to seek out lower cost fuel suppliers and drive more economically.

Fuel card companies will be able to provide the information you need to manage fuel use in your company vehicles. The measurement of fuel reduction initiatives, such as driver training, setting departmental mileage reduction targets, route planning etc will be easier to measure if the available fuel card data is used.

The Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Awards 2009

The Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Awards is an annual event which recognises businesses, both public and private, that have gone the extra mile to reduce carbon emissions from their fleet operations. Funded by the Department for Transport and supported by CBI, the 2009 Awards launched on June 24th and entrants have until Monday 24th August to get their entries in. There are 11 categories in total and all you have to do is submit a 250 word application explaining why you are a Fleet Hero for your chosen category or categories it couldn’t be simpler!

Winners will be announced at a prestigious networking event at City Hall in central London this November and profiled in a special supplement in the Guardian, the official media partner, and Fleet News. To find out how you can become a 2009 Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero go to: www.guardian.co.uk/fleetheroes2009

Source: Energy Saving Trust