It's not easy being green...

The great and the good of the environmental motoring industry gathered at the Emirates Stadium to hear the winners of the 2012 GreenFleet Awards announced at a glittering awards ceremony

The Awards, which took place on October 11, were presented by comedian and impersonator Alistair McGowan, who returned to front the event for the second year and had the audience in fits of laughter with his repertoire of observations and celebrity impressions. BMW picked up two hotly-contested categories.

As well as topping the Fleet Car Manufacturer of the Year category for the fifth year running, the German marque scooped the Outstanding Achievement Award for its EfficientDynamics enhancements. Back in 2007, BMW introduced a pioneering series of refinements which have been responsible for a vast reduction in CO2 levels across its range. More than one million vehicles worldwide are already equipped with these improvements as standard.

Awards judge Ben Lane said: “With all its fleet accomplishments, BMW continues to innovate low emission power-trains and bring new car concepts to production; 2013 will see the launch of the all-electric and ‘connected’ i3 Concept, with the i8 electric hybrid sports car (104mpg and 66g/km CO2) following in 2014. The BMW i sub-brand also includes new models of car access such as the new DriveNow car share scheme.”

The hotly-contested Industry Innovation Award was presented to Vauxhall for the truly innovative Ampera. What sets the Ampera apart from other EVs is its range extender, a small 1.4-litre petrol‑fuelled engine/generator which powers the electric motor (but not the wheels). According to European Test Cycle (ECE R101) figures, the Ampera achieves 235.4mpg and combined tailpipe emissions of just 27g/km.

Those commended for the Industry Innovation Award include Travel de Courcey, which is  the first bus operator in the UK to invest in fast-charging electric buses. In June, the company launched the first three on a shuttle service in Coventry. Each vehicle is powered by more than 200 hi-tech batteries which can be fully charged in 40 minutes. Electric charging points installed at the park enable all three buses to run at peak times.

Also commended was the intelligent software inside ABB’s Terra Smart Connect Duo (TSCD) charger, which balances the available power enabling simultaneous AC/DC charging of two vehicles. This means a significantly higher throughput. A 20kW full charge takes around 60 minutes, and TSCD’s slim design can be wall mounted – no planning permission needed or landlord’s consent is needed.

The Electric Vehicle of the Year Award went to the Kangoo Z.E., a fully fledged and available commercial EV which has the same dimensions as the internal combustion model but is powered by a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a combined-cycle range of 170km.

New category
A new category, Private Hire/Taxi Company of the Year was topped by Climate Cars, which has over 100 Toyota Prius hybrids and has recently added fully electric Fluence to its fleet. One of its largest clients now has a Fluence on site with a dedicated parking bay next to the charge point.

Private Sector Fleet of the Year (below 250 vehicles) went to Coca‑Cola Enterprises. Following a wide‑ranging technical evaluation, the Coca‑Cola Direct Store Distribution Fleet introduced 14 dedicated biomethane gas-powered HGVs into its North London operation earlier this year. This locally‑sourced fuel is landfill derived from household waste, enabling the capture of latent energy recovered from rubbish. The efforts of Coca Cola’s fleet manager Darren O’Donnell were also recognised – he picked up the Private Sector Fleet Manager of the Year Award. Darren joined Coca-Cola in 2005 as fleet engineer, and was promoted to his current role in 2007 with responsibility for logistics fleet management. Transport carbon reduction is a specific to his personal objectives, and emissions have become an integral part of his departmental KPI reporting. The fleet comprises 225 vehicles that completed 44,534 multi-drop journeys during 2011, with an annual transport carbon footprint of 5,600 tonnes of CO2e. Darren managed the introduction of a fleet of 14 biomethane gas-powered HGVs into the North London operation in early 2012. This locally-sourced fuel is derived from household waste, enabling the capture of latent energy recovered from rubbish. Green practices developed within warehousing fleet operations have seen hybrid and hydrostatic drive systems significantly reduce carbon. Darren is also looking into lighter HGVs, and hydrogen fuel cells to power fork‑lift trucks.

Supermarket giant Tesco win the Private Sector Fleet (above 250 vehicles) category. It’s ‘F Plan’ carbon reduction diet is built on four simple ‘f’ pillars – fuller pallets, fuller trucks/containers, fewer miles and fuel economy. A restructuring of the distribution network saw a reduction from 36 depots to 26 depots, getting product closer to the shops and reducing road miles. Introducing driver coaching tools delivered a five per cent reduction in fuel consumption, and reducing vehicle topspeeds from 56mph to 50mph also saved a further five per cent.

Tube Lines, which is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the London Tube network, won the Public Sector Fleet (above 250 vehicles) category. Emissions have been reduced by 25 per cent since 2009 through intensive vehicle and driver management at Tube Lines, a founder member of the Freight Operators Recognition Scheme. It operates a diverse fleet to provide a wide range of services – over 1500 vehicles total around 15 million km per annum. Five per cent of the fleet uses alternative fuels including electricity, LPG and hybrids. Overall, the car fleet averages an impressive 114g/km of CO2.

Green Motion, a four-time GreenFleet Rental Company of the Year Award winner picked up the award again this year. The comnpany has proven it is passionate about providing the most fuel efficient and least polluting vehicles for the purpose of rental, and strives to include the very latest technologies, such as all electric and range extender vehicles, in its offerings.

2012 has seen the UK network expand with locations servicing major airports and key metropolitan areas as far south as Exeter and as far north as Edinburgh. Despite the continuing tough climate, Green Motion has demonstrated that corporate customers are willing to play their part in reducing CO2 emissions, and has seen a growing trend for demanding the choice to go green. It is also the only vehicle rental company in the UK to guarantee customers the opportunity of renting congestion charge exempt vehicles and/or hybrid only vehicles. This remains an industry first. The company continues to drive down emissions and is now firmly focused on being the world’s first rental company to operate average CO2 of under 100g/km.

Light Commercial Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year went to Fiat Professional for its range is available with Bi-Link suspension, Start&Stop, eco:Drive Professional software and state of the art MultiJet diesel engines. eco:Drive Professional allows acceleration, deceleration, gearshift and speed information to be saved onto it automatically. Van drivers can enter various parameters such as the load, and by analysing the impact on efficiency can adopt appropriate behaviour. such as alternative routes etc.

Public Sector Fleet Manager the Year went to Graham Telfer of Gateshead Council. Many pioneering fleet programmes that Gateshead is involved in see its fleet manager Graham Telfer make the GreenFleet Awards shortlist once again. Together with its partners, Gateshead continually strives to explore new green technologies. This commitment has seen the introduction of a range of groundbreaking initiatives that have benefited local authorities across the North East and reduced the Council’s carbon impact. A serious player in environmental fleet management and a LCVPP panel member since inception, Gateshead’s recent electric focus sees the council operate 10 Smiths electric Transits, four Ashwood Hybrids, two Mitsubishi iMIEV pool cars and a Nissan Leaf. In 2012, Gateshead’s transport department was successful in achieving ISO 14401 status. It is in the process of installing 16 electrobay charging posts throughout the borough.

Record amount of entries
Colin Boyton, marketing manager of GreenFleet, said: “Once again the industry has delivered. This year we have received a record amount of entries from across the sector. Firstly, the OEMs and industry suppliers have continued to deliver innovative vehicles, products and services that can assist in running a more efficient transport operation. And then there’s the fleet managers themselves. 2012 has certainly seen great examples of low carbon best practice and has shown why the UK continues to lead in efficient fleet management. I would like to thank all those that too part, both the entrants and the sponsors, as without them, we would not be able to show the rest of the UK, and indeed the world, what a great job they’re doing. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Arrive’n’Drive, Scotland and Awards events next year too.”

Further information
The GreenFleet Awards has successfully been run by PSi, publishers of GreenFleet magazine, since 2005. For further information on all winners and commended entries, as well as photography from the event, visit www.greenfleetawards.co.uk