2021 GREENFLEET Award winners announced

The winners of the 2021 GREENFLEET Awards have been announced, showcasing environmental excellence within the fleet and transport sector.

The glittering ceremony took place on 1 December at British Motor Museum in Warwick, with the awards presented by comedian, impressionist, writer and actress Ronni Ancona.
    
The awards, sponsored by the Algorithm People, showcase innovation by both the fleets themselves, as well as those that supply them. And there is individual recognition too, with fleet manager awards, together with the  EV and AFV Champions.
    
New for this year was the GREENFLEET Vehicle of the Year award, recognising the car, van or truck that has made the biggest impact on the UK fleet sector in 2021. The coveted title went to the Peugeot e-208; with over 4,000 vehicles sold from the start of 2020 to May 2021, the e-208 is Peugeot’s most popular electric car across its product portfolio. Powered by a 100kW motor, the e-208 uses a 50kWh battery which provides a range of up to 217 miles (WLTP) from a full charge.

The Award winners are as follows:

IT Innovation Award:
The Algorithm People (TAP) won the IT Innovation Award for its new solution which tackles a previously unconsidered fleet challenge – the mileage between vehicle and base for reloading. TAP’s Mobile and Transient Hubs Solution (MATHs), developed with Teesside University can optimise the dynamic relationships between mobile assets (vehicle-to-vehicle routeing). In other words, vehicles can now reload while out on the road, eliminating wasteful back-to-base mileage. MATHs extends the award-winning optimisation platform My Transport Planner, (MTP) which combines algorithms and machine learning to continuously improve journey efficiency and load allocation for ICE, EV or mixed fleets. MATHs incorporates artificial intelligence which allows the mutual, dynamic optimisation of mobile assets. MTP delivers up to 20% productivity gains for fleets. However, MATHs provides an additional 20% productivity boost.
 
Mobility Provider of the Year:

The winner of the Mobility Provider of the Year was Co Wheels for helping its members save money, reduce UK car ownership and create cleaner, greener local communities by making lower impact transport options widely available. Co Wheels' 450-strong fleet of electric, hybrid and some fuel cars and vans, run an average of 8,811 miles per annum. Its vehicles emit 54 per cent less than the average privately owned car. By 2025 Co Wheels aims for its fleet to be 90 per cent hybrid or fully-electric vehicles, up from 78 per cent. What's more, Co Wheels has partnered with bus operator Go North East to host its membership and bus tickets on one smartcard. ‘Flexility’ lets people use buses for regular journeys and access cars when needed without owning one – making sustainable travel simple and helping us ease congestion.
 
Leasing Company of the Year
Lex Autolease scooped the Leasing Company of the Year Award for work accelerating its customer’s plug-in fleet transitions. One in five Lex deliveries in 2021 was a BEV, compared to the UK average of one in 12 registrations being BEVs (as per SMMT). In 2021 its ULEV fleet accounts for almost one fifth of its fleet – double that in 2020, and it is a member of EV100. Lex Autolease now has a dedicated sustainability team focused on EV transition, which provides industry leading advice and guidance to customers. Last year the Sustainability Curve programme was devised to standardise the previously bespoke Consultancy support to allow more customers to benefit from expertise, providing tool kits and fleet analytic tools to help customers identify where they are in their EV transition. What's more, 2020 saw the launch of its ULEV only salary sacrifice scheme.
 
Charging & Refuelling Infrastructure Provider of the Year:
SWARCO won the Charging & Refuelling Infrastructure Provider of the Year Award, beating off stiff competition. With over 8,500 commercial charge points installed across the UK, SWARCO has continued to support the expansion of electric vehicle charging networks in the UK. 2021 saw the completion of project PACE – a joint Lanarkshire and Scottish Power Energy Network’s (SPEN) project where SWARCO supplied, installed and maintained up to 180 chargers across 44 sites in 2020 and 2021. What's more, following on from its success in Scotland deploying networks for 32 Councils, SWARCO is working with Transport for Wales and Welsh Councils to install charging infrastructure, as well as working alongside Centrica Business Solutions to develop the most cost-effective solution for the charging and management of 32 fully electric double-decker E-Buses to operate on Manchester City centre routes.
 
Fleet Car Manufacturer of the Year:
Kia took home the title of Fleet Car Manufacturer of the year for its choice of zero and ultra low emission vehicles that appeal to fleet managers. The company has eleven new BEV models arriving by 2026, seven of which will be developed on the advanced E-GMP shared with Hyundai. The EV6 is the first of these models, and shares much with the Hyundai IONIQ 5, including 800V charging technology, rear or all-wheel drive models, and a 300‑mile all‑electric range. The popular Niro is continuing to do the work for Kia, though, too, the e-Niro crowned ‘Best Company Car’ at the Business Motoring Awards 2021. The e-Niro was also the UK’s most popular EV in the first two months of the year, with 75 per cent going to fleets in February alone.
 
PHEV Manufacturer of the Year:
VOLVO was presented the PHEV Manufacturer of the Year award for improving its ‘Recharge’ plug-in hybrid powertrain on its 90 and 60 Series models. This significantly extends electric range while also lowering CO2 emissions, increasing performance and improving driveability. The single charge all-electric distance is now a projected 56 miles, which is more than enough for the daily driving range of an average premium car owner, which Volvo research states is less than 31 miles.
 
Electric Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year:
Maxus scooped the sought after Electric Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year Award for its commercial vans. Distributed by Harris Automotive Distributors, MAXUS has become a favourite with UK business-owners and fleet managers – over 54 per cent of 2021 sales are electric and the brand is projecting a 400 per cent increase in sales by year’s end. The rise in sales has a lot to do with MAXUS’ two newest EV models. The e DELIVER 3 is the first van MAXUS’ portfolio that does not offer a diesel engine alternative and the e DELIVER 9 is a large zero-emission vehicle that has it all in terms of spec and space. As a brand, MAXUS is aware that navigating the switch to electric can be difficult, and so set up a business advice service for those looking to invest in EVs. 2022 will see MAXUS build even further on its range of CVs with work underway to test the market feasibility for a seven-seat, electric MPV and minibus, and an EV tractor unit.
 
LCV Manufacturer of the Year:
Vauxhall won the LCV Manufacturer of the Year Award for its comprehensive range of electric vans. Its latest is the Combo-e which had  its global debut at the UK’s 2021 Commercial Vehicle Show. The Combo-e is powered by a 50kWh battery and 100kW electric motor which gives it a range of 171 miles. At the other end of the scale, the Movano-e offers up to 139 miles of range from its 70kWh battery and 90kW electric motor, along with 17m3 of load capacity and a choice of two ‘L3’ and ‘L4’ lengths. Vauxhall is the UK’s the best-selling electric Light Commercial Vehicle manufacturer, with 2,158 all-electric vans sold up until November 2021. The multiple award-winning Vivaro-e has driven this success, with ten of the all-electric van joining organic fruit and vegetable supplier Riverford. A further 2,000 were ordered by British Gas, adding to the 1,000 purchased in 2020, and another 665 went to facilities management and professional services Mitie.

LGV Manufacturer of the Year:
Mercedes-Benz Trucks won the LGV Manufacturer of the Year Award for its commitment to revolutionise the trucking industry with the introduction of the eActros, eEconic and eActros LongHaul. The eActros will be available as a 19‑tonne two‑axle, and 27-tonne three-axle rigid truck, with 420kWh battery capacity providing a range of 250 miles, and peak power of 400kW. The noise level will be just 60dB, making zero‑emission night‑time deliveries possible. Production of the eActros began in October 2021, and the battery-powered low‑entry eEconic (based on the five-star DVS-rated Econic) follows in 2022. In 2024, Mercedes-Benz Trucks will start series production of the battery‑electric eActros LongHaul – a 40-tonne articulated truck with 500km range. In addition, the hydrogen fuel cell GenH2 Truck will be on UK roads by the end of the decade. Using highly energy-dense liquid hydrogen, it aims to achieve ranges of up to 1,000km. Customer trials will begin in 2023, and the first series-produced GenH2 Trucks should be handed over to their customers in 2027.
 
Private Sector Car Fleet of the Year:
Chestertons won the Private Sector Car Fleet of the Year Award for its success at converting its entire fleet of company cars to electric vehicles. The company has calculated that this action has reduced its tailpipe CO2 emissions by 2,925kgs (183 tonnes) per year. Chestertons is also expecting to save £425,000 in other costs, such as on vehicle tax, fuel and congestion charges. Following the transformation of its fleet, Chestertons went on to become the first large estate agency in the country to be certified as Net Zero Carbon after offsetting the remaining 212 tonnes of CO2 it currently produces per year.
 
Public Sector Car Fleet of the Year:
Lake District National Park Authority was presented with the Public Sector Car Fleet of the Year Award for the introduction of 13 electric vehicles which replaced its diesel pool cars, as well as the charge-point infrastructure to support these. Since acquired in September 2020, the BMW i3 EVs have travelled around 57,500 miles. This has saved the equivalent of 12.7 tCO2e, and because the Park Authority is on a renewable electricity tariff, nearly all of this is a pure carbon saving. The Park Authority has worked with AMP EV to provide a total of 28 charge-points across three sites. Most of these are for the Authority’s pool vehicles, but six are rapid chargers that will be available for public use at its offices at Kendal and Threlkeld. This adds to the charge-points already available to the public at five of its car parks.
 
Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year (S/M):
Peel Ports scooped the Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year Award, in the small to medium category, for its fleet which is fifty per cent electric. The business aims to be 100 per cent EV and zero-emission by the end of 2022. Working alongside Activa, Peel Ports is taking delivery of 36 pure EVs in the coming weeks, with new vehicles like the Maxus E being trialled and delivered on site soon. As well as having telematics installed into all fleet vehicles, there have been 15 chargers installed, with a further 15 being installed in phase two. Peel Ports will continue to transition to a fully electric fleet, investing in new electric cranes and electric CMRGs that move freight onto the ships. Charging infrastructure is also being installed on the ships.
 
Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year (M/L):
British Gas, owned by parent company Centrica, won the Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year in the larger category, for its aggressive roll out of electric vehicles. The company has rolled out just shy of 1,000 electric vehicles, bringing its fleet total to about 10 per cent currently – and 31 per cent by the end of 2022. Centrica has agreed to be full EV by the end of 2025 and has a strategy for procuring no further diesels after 2021. British Gas has also opened a salary sacrifice scheme for its employees to enable them to access electric vehicles. Centrica has also developed a system and driver app which manages charging, both at home, work/depot and publicly.
 
Public Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year (S/M):
Westminster City Council (WCC) and Veolia won the Public Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year Award (S/M) in recognition of its environmentally-friendly waste and cleansing fleet. The 286 specialist vehicles have a carbon footprint of 2954t of CO2 pa. WCC has secured funding to test modern technologies, such as hydrogen powered trucks and upcycling end of life old diesel large trucks to fully electric and alternative fuels, such as HVO and CNG. This project led to Westminster City Council being named winner of the Circular Economy Success category at the Awards for Excellence. This, along with the emissions savings, has enabled the Council to secure additional funding to transform the whole of west end cleansing operations to zero emission operations.  
 
Public Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year (M/L):
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) won the award for Public Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year (M/L). NHS Improvement recently conducted a benchmarking exercise of all 10 english ambulance service fleets – WMAS’s model was recognised as class leading and has now become the basis for the National Ambulance Specification. In 2020, WMAS unveiled the world’s first fully electric front line emergency ambulance, which has been in operation since November 2020. It has also successfully implemented two electric rapid response cars in April 2021, and in December, two fully electric PTS (patient transport service) vehicles will be put into operation. WMAS has also transitioned its IT support team from diesel vehicles into LEVC hybrids and it has a number of fully electric Peugeot Experts due for delivery in February 2022.
 
Private Sector Fleet Manager of the Year:
James Hornsby from the Co-operative Group took home the title of Private Sector Fleet Manager of the Year, in recognition of his  management of the Group's diverse fleet of 2,900 vehicles. With partners Lex Autolease, the Group launched new company car policies in 2020, centred on ULEVs. By replacing ICE vehicles with electric vehicles, the average vehicle CO2 per km has reduced 47 per cent since. Over 50 per cent of the company car fleet is now electrified in some way, with a further 70 EVs and 100 PHEVs on order. Following a successful trial of five fully electric home delivery vans, 40 more will be delivered in 2021 with further electric vans planned for 2022. The Funeralcare business also saw the delivery of the 40 first regenerative hybrid hearses and limousines last year.
 
Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year:
Fraser Crichton, Corporate Fleet Manager, for Dundee City Council scooped the Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year Award. Fraser has been integral to the introduction, development and future proofing of electric vehicle infrastructure within Dundee City since the very first installation of four cars and chargers in 2011. On behalf of the council, Fraser’s main objectives have been to expand EV infrastructure, improve city wide air quality, prioritise the use of clean energy sources and lead on the growth of electric vehicles within both the council fleet and the wider community. The Council’s fleet now stands at 150 EVs and is the largest of any other local authority in the UK. Fraser has set the goal of all council cars, as well as small and medium vans, to be electric by the end of 2023. Fraser has overseen the growth of public charging infrastructure that now includes 39 rapid chargers and 82 fast charging posts.

GREENFLEET Award for Industry Innovation:
The AA scooped the Industry Innovation Award for its Freewheeling Hub, which has already transformed its breakdown service for thousands of its customers. The industry-first is a new addition to the AA’s Multi-Fit Wheel kit and a clever way for its patrols to safely tow vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs), 4x4s and SUVs, which normally cannot be ‘lifted’ and towed on two wheels. As well as rescuing EVs, the Freewheeling Hub can be fixed to the rear wheels of stricken vehicles so they can be towed rather than having to wait for a flatbed recovery vehicle. The Freewheeling Hub was designed by the AA’s chief engineer Steve Ives who has worked for the AA for more than 40 years. Determined to find the seemingly impossible solution, Steve worked on his concept for months, eventually crafting a wooden prototype which was further developed with AE Oscroft.
 
GREENFLEET Award for Outstanding Achievement:
Mitie won the prestigious GREENFLEET Award for Outstanding Achievement for its work with electric vehicles, which began back in 2018. It now has now grown its electric fleet to 1,682 EVs, the largest pure electric fleet in the UK, with a further 805 on order. The EVs prevent 8,410 tonnes of CO2e from being emitted annually. Mitie is now sharing its expertise with other businesses to help them transition to an electric fleet, through its Plan Zero Fleet Transition Service.

AFV and EV Champions

There was further recognition for individuals that fly the flag for alternative fuels and electric vehicles.

GREENFLEET AFV Champions:
Hugh Nicholson, Moy Park
Karen Paciello, Royal Mail
Alfie McNamara, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service
David Landy, Hermes

GREENFLEET EV Champions:
Dean Hedger, AA
Emma Loveday, DriveTech
Richard Parker, Webfleet Solutions
Lorna McAtear, National Grid
Paul Kirby, EV Essentials