The green industry is set to take over the global way of doing business due to climate concerns and related fall-outs. Now is the time to transition and adopt sustainable practices, and a big part of this is going electric in mobility. Green fleet policies are a must now.
For businesses, it means doing the proper research, getting a suitable fleet of vehicles, adopting sustainable approaches at every step, and putting a team and technology in place for correct implementation.
What exactly is a green fleet, and what all does it involve?
The goal of a green fleet is to reduce carbon gas emissions, consume less combustible fuel and have sustainable goals. The fleet size can vary, and besides vehicles, it also includes:
Sustainable practices on the shop floor, human resource, and closed-loop policies.
Some Statistics
The European Union, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom averaged 122.3 g CO2/km in emissions from new passenger cars in 2019. It did better than the target set for 2015-2019 at 130 g CO2/km, but well above the target of 95 g CO2/km for 2020-2024
According to the EEA, the average specific CO2 emissions of all new heavy-duty vehicles registered in the EU from 2019 to mid-2020 stood at 53 g CO2/tkm (i.e., transporting one ton of goods over one kilometre).
The average emissions of carbon dioxide from new cars in the United Kingdom (UK) was around 112.8 grams per kilometre in 2020, a drop of almost 12 per cent year-on-year.
Overall, transport emissions are still about one-quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The European Green Deal calls for a 90 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
Challenges
Businesses cannot turn to electric or hybrid vehicles overnight. Rome was not built in a day. The transition to energy-efficient practices can be expensive as green tech is not cheap.
A big problem is how long EVs can run on single charges and recharging station availability.
Other issues are fitting the vehicles to the budget and looking for the right fit and specs suitable for a business. It is also crucial to ensure that the ancillary suppliers and logistics partners are on board about the changes and practising a similar policy. Otherwise, the effort goes wasted and will come under the tag of greenwashing, where only a cursory policy nod is given for optics.
Adoption of related technology for tracking fleet, driver management, and shopfloor practices of reuse and recycling is as difficult.
Along with costs, the cultural shift has to be worked upon.
Solutions
- Digital Tech including AI, data, telematics
- Automation (IoT), Robotics
- Green Tech, including EV and renewable resources.
- Recycle and remanufacture
- Platooning-The networked operation of a fleet of trucks with optimal distance and speed
- Innovate, automate with blockchain
- MAAS-Mobility as a service and alternatives
Industry veterans advise a judicious mix of electric, hybrid, and more efficient gasoline vehicles to go green and be sustainable. The answer lies in doing appropriate and deep research to see what fits a business need.
Short-haul runs can use electric vehicles that would take care of the charging problem. Hybrid and gasoline vehicles can be used for longer hauls. A strict check on maintenance and fuel consumption can go a long way in saving costs.
Dynamic routing
Dynamic routing finds the most cost efficient way to move from point to point. It plans routes using GPS and Advanced Fleet Management Systems and can incorporate delivery times using multiple time windows and heterogeneous fleets.
Driver management
It requires performance monitoring and keeping a check on driving abilities through sensors. Hard braking and unwanted acceleration can help pinpoint performance problems. Also, driver fatigue is an intangible that can be measured through tracking devices, pit stops and calendar metrics. Driver performance can be the variable that adds or reduces fuel costs by 20-30 percent.
Platooning
It is the process of operating a fleet of trucks moving at an optimal speed and distance in tandem. According to experts, it reduces fuel consumption and increases efficiency by almost 18 percent. In addition, the digitisation of vehicles makes mobility smoother, reduces emissions and adds to road safety. Platooning is the future of fleet vehicle mobility.
Tracking systems
Tracking facilitates data collection for a seamless fleet management system. Data analytics helps map out profitable areas and tailor and customise offerings accordingly.
Another advantage is freight management on board with temperature controls. The tracking devices can control perishables and other items that need a specific temperature to be maintained. Temperature logs are a good source of optimal utilisation of resources on board and as problem solvers.
Technology creates data, which, when analysed properly, can be used to plug gaps, develop efficient systems, and sometimes lead to innovative solutions.
Innovation in Mobility as a Service or MaaS
Uber has come up with Uber Freight connecting shippers and freighters similar to its ride hailing services.
Freight and fleet businesses operate in business-to-business mode, but broader adoption of it as a service is not far, especially for smaller companies who need to outsource.
Blockchain
Blockchain technology is another innovation that is finding applications in the fleet management space. Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) is actively promoting blockchain to solve some of the most intransigent problems in trucking. A smart contract utilising blockchain will streamline the process with no leeway for mistakes or disagreements. It will increase efficiency by matching shippers with carriers and streamlining the whole load to transport to delivery and payment process as it would be all automatically recorded and transparent.
Impact
Green maintenance and sustainable practices will increase efficiency and give greater mileage over every penny invested. In addition, the drive to be more responsible environmentally has led to innovations in the business, which have changed processes and brought about overall improvement and efficiencies.
Examples
Centrica Business, the third-largest commercial fleet in the UK, electrified its fleet of 14,000 vehicles by adopting a scalable, intelligent and easy-to-use EV charging software. The technology tracks the availability of chargers, cost of charging, prioritises which cars are charged first, and keeps tabs on all charging invoices.
The adoption reduced the total cost of ownership and streamlined all charging and payment operations.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership program helps companies increase fleet efficiency and reduce emissions and pollution in the US. Lowes joined the programme in 2004 and reduced carbon emissions by over 466,000 tons and saved 42 million gallons of diesel fuel. Kroger used the program to adjust truck idle times and maintain recommended top speeds of 62 miles per hour or the state limit for maximum efficiency. Wal-Mart installed small, efficient generators on its trucks to save on engine running while parked and saved $25 million per year.
Solar roofing, recycling of parts and efficient inventory and tracking of parts are other measures that make operations sustainable.
Conclusion
Sustainable practices and green policy adoptions are a fact of life. Companies and businesses need to be prepared with plans and policies to fully adopt electric or hybrid vehicles in the near future. Adoption of telematics, company cultural shifts, digitisation and innovations are other viable options.
Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy-to-use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate, and streamline their maintenance operations.
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