Recognising green‑minded fleets

On 22 October, the GreenFleet Awards 2015 will shine a light on fleet managers, suppliers and manufacturers working to minimise the environmental impact of fleets and support low-carbon motoring

The green-minded fleet community will gather at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham, on 22 October for the GreenFleet Awards 2015. Now in its 18th year, the Awards will recognise exceptional achievement in environmental fleet management, efficiency and low-carbon motoring.
    
Fleet, HR, sustainability managers and leasing and rental companies, as well as the manufacturers themselves, face ongoing challenges year on year to make sure they remain ‘green’, with many taking environmental practice a step further to push the boundaries of what is deemed possible, putting their own stamp on the industry through new technology and innovation.
    
The GreenFleet Awards will showcase the very best of these companies and individuals, from both the private and public sectors, celebrating the fantastic achievements of the automotive industry in promoting a cleaner environment. With 20 categories ranging from “Industry Innovation” to “Leasing Company of the Year”, the awards will recognise outstanding achievement within each field.
    
Over 300 fleet pioneers will gather for networking and knowledge sharing, champagne and fine dining, before the climax to the evening, the awards ceremony itself.

This year’s GreenFleet Awards will build upon the fantastic success of last year’s event, which was held at the Heritage Motor Centre motor museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire and hosted by renowned motoring journalist Quentin Wilson.

Manufacturer awards
Fleet Car Manufacturer of the Year, sponsored by Rockingham, will be presented to the manufacturer that has improved CO2 ratings of its standard fleet offerings and expanded the range of lower CO2 models and alternatively‑fuelled options available to fleet customers.
    
Last year BMW scooped up the title for its wide range of low emission models. Awards judges said: “The German marque is the brand that all other vehicle manufacturers operating in the fleet sector must aspire to beat. Initially through its ConnectedDrive and EfficientDynamics technologies, which are now commonplace across its vehicle range, BMW has defined the next generation of models in the revolutionary i3 and i8 electric cars. With fuel-sipping, low emission models to fit virtually every company car choice list, including the new 2 and 4 Series, X4 and X5, among the lowest whole life costs coupled with improved levels of support, alongside the arrival of electric cars and a radical approach to ‘mobility’, the brand has the biggest green halo in the market.”
    
The PHEV Manufacturer of the Year, sponsored by EDF Energy, was a new category for last year, and recognises the manufacturer of either a commercial or consumer plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that has demonstrated the best performance and best suitability for purpose in its class. Mitsubishi claimed the award for its PHEV Outlander, which was the world’s first plug-in hybrid 4x4 SUV. With regenerative braking to feed power back into the batteries when possible, the Outlander is capable of 32.5 miles in EV mode (total range 500+), 70mph on EV power, and has the possibility of up to 148mpg, all with the added convenience of an SUV.
    
EDF Energy also sponsor the Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturer of the Year Award, to celebrate the manufacturer of either a commercial or consumer EV that has demonstrated the best performance and best suitability for purpose in its class. German manufacturer Volkswagen picked up the award for its its e-Golf and e-Up vehicles, which are both based on standard production cars and so deliver a degree of familiarity for drivers new to electric technology.
    
Citroën celebrated double success at the 2014 Awards, taking home both the City Car Manufacturer of the Year, sponsored by Green Motion, and the LCV Manufacturer of the Year.
    
With a range of over 51 cars that are sub‑100g/km, Citroën clinched the City Car award with its C1 model. The Light Commercial Vehicle Award recognised Citroën’s Relay panel van, that improved fuel economy and CO2 emissions thanks to efficient HDi and e-HDi 130 diesel engines, Stop & Start, energy recapture and intelligent alternator management.
    
The final Manufacturer of the Year award recognises advancements in the Large Goods Vehicle Sector (Over 7.5 tonnes), and was won by DAF in 2014 for its range of Euro 6 engines designed for maximum efficiency, reliability and the highest driver comfort.

Recognising Innovation
The Industry Innovation Award will recognise the organisation that has introduced a new technology, practice or method that reduces fuel consumption and emissions and demonstrates innovation in its design and/or implementation. Nissan’s e-NV200 claimed the prize for the Japanese manufacturer last year, combining the EV powertrain from the LEAF with the class-leading cargo area of the NV200 for an electric van offering with a range of 106 miles.
    
The IT Innovation Award examines the latest advancements in fleet technology, including fleet management software, telematics, route tracking and other IT related transport technology. In 2014 Chevin Fleet Solutions won this category for its web‑based fleet management software, FleetWave, which allows operators to view and measure their carbon footprint and the corrective action they take through detailed reporting tools. The software manages green initiatives with new and continuously improved features such as the Environment Impact Report, Fuel Analysis, Driver Training, Pool Car Share Function and the Smart Vehicle Replacement tool.

Private Sector Fleets
The GreenFleet Awards will recognise private sector fleet management through a number of awards, the first being the Private Sector Fleet Manager of the Year. This award celebrates an individual currently working as a fleet manager in a private sector company that has demonstrated a commitment to making carbon reduction a priority in their day to day duties, and has promoted green fleet practices to other parts of their organisation. Philippa Maher of Environmental Essentials picked up the award last year, for helping the company’s fleet double in size with the introduction of new hybrids and helping to drop the fleets average CO2 emissions from 142g/km to just 108g/km, while also overseeing the adoption of driver training, telematics and fuel cards.
    
Private Sector Fleet of the year is split into two sections, small to medium fleet and medium to large fleet.
    
The medium to large Fleet of the Year Award, sponsored by Route Monkey, is presented to the UK private sector organisation with a fleet of more than 250 vehicles that can demonstrate a reduction in CO2 and other pollutants through fuel efficiency programmes, green fleet management and driver awareness training. British gas were named winners in 2014, for teaming up with  Nissan and Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions to set out on one of the UK’s largest commercial trials of EV technology. Using the Nissan e-NV200 fully electric van, 28 boiler engineers converted from their diesel Volkswagen Caddy to the low carbon vehicle for six months.
    
The small to medium-sized Fleet of the Year Award is limited to companies with less than 250 vehicles, and was won by Commercial Group last year for its investment in both electric and hydrogen vehicles and the installation of four quick chargers that are open to visitors on site.
    
The Private Hire/Taxi Company of the Year celebrates the efforts of the private hire and taxi sector and is awarded to the company that demonstrates a commitment to reducing CO2 emissions within the fleet, and has incorporated a robust environmental policy into its present and future operations. eConnect Cars claimed the award in 2014, offering passengers zero emission journeys with its fully‑electric chauffeur driven service. Account clients are given details of CO2 savings made instead of a TX4 black cab, which can then be added to their own reporting. eConnect Cars also has a ‘GoldPower’ tariff which means that for every kilowatt hour used by a GoldPowered car, an equivalent amount of energy is then produced by a renewable energy plant somewhere else.

Public Sector Fleets
Public Sector fleets will also have a strong presence at the awards. Public Sector Fleet manager of the year was claimed by Chris Rutherford of Islington Council in 2014, for his work to revamp the Council’s fleet, made up of bikes, cars, vans and refuse trucks, to embrace the latest innovative technology as the Council strives to reduce carbon emissions.
    
As a testament to Chris’s work, Islington Council picked up the medium to large Public Sector Fleet of the Year, which recognises the UK public sector organisation with a fleet of more than 250 vehicles that can demonstrate a reduction in CO2 and other pollutants through fuel efficiency programmes, green fleet management and driver awareness training. The Council operates the largest public sector fleet of hybrid commercial vehicles in the UK, coupled with 115 Transit Custom vans fitted with eco packs, speed limiters and acceleration control.
    
Grey fleet miles were reduced where possible by using hybrid and electric pool cars, and the use of an informal league efficient driving table bred a healthy competition in some departments to encourage eco-friendly driving practices.
    
The 2014 small to medium Public Sector Fleet of the Year, sponsored by Automotive Leasing, was picked up by the University of Birmingham and, like the Private Sector Award, is awarded to an organisation with a fleet of less than 250 vehicles
    
The University has 98 in‑house vehicles and manages more than 2,000 external hires for staff as well. Its first EV was introduced seven years ago, and now 15 per cent of its entire fleet is pure EV or hydrogen fuel-cell, including a Nissan e-NV200 used to deliver mail across the Edgbaston campus. What’s more, the University has also installed eight EV charging points and one of the UK’s only hydrogen refuelling stations.

A commitment to eco-friendly driving
Driver Training Initiative of the Year recognises the impact that driver habits and eco-driving techniques can have on vehicle efficiency and is presented an organisation that has been successful in reducing fuel consumption primarily through the introduction of driver training programmes and awareness courses.
  
Last year the award was presented to MITIE, which operates a fleet of almost 7,500 vehicles and is responsible for training some 15,000 drivers. The facilities, property and energy management provider runs an online ‘driver induction’ to provide an overview of MITIE’s driving policies and processes and establish a risk rating which ascertains the level of training required.
    
All drivers identified as medium or high risk receive Driver Awareness Training, which takes place in MITIE’s own fully mobile driving simulator, capable of training up to 800 drivers per year in small groups typically lasting one hour.
    
Leasing Company of the Year is awarded to the leasing company that has made the biggest strides towards environmental considerations in its leasing policies and 2014 saw Alphabet take home the award. Alphabet’s solutions are developed in close cooperation with customers and include the AlphaElectric consultancy service for fleets wanting to incorporate EVs. Delivery specialist Gnewt Cargo brought in Alphabet to double its EV fleet size and Alphabet also worked with Renault to fast-track 55 Renault Kangoo electric vans under its AlphaElectric scheme, which were then delivered within the space of a month.

Rental Company of the Year recognises the efforts of the car rental sector to offer lower CO2 models and incorporate a robust environmental policy into its present and future operations. Green Motion walked away with the award last year for its continued investment in the latest green vehicle technology, which had seen the company’s CO2 average drop below 99g/km across the whole fleet.

EV Champions
With so much good work being done by individuals championing alternative fuels and low emission motoring, last year saw the introduction of the EV Champion category. Three winners were recognised for their individual contributions: Judith Eadie from Automotive Leasing, Matt Trevaskis from Ecodrive and Kate Armitage from Route Monkey (formerly of EDF Energy).
    
Judith Eadie is known as ‘Miss EV’ in Scotland and has won numerous awards in her own organisation. Matt Trevaskis is widely regarded as ‘that guy’ who knows all there is to know about EVs, while Kate Armitage has managed to make the ‘less glamorous’ side of EVs – the recharging infrastructure – more interesting at EDF Energy, before moving on to route optimisation at Route Monkey.

Outstanding Achievement
The Outstanding Achievement Award recognises an individual or company that has shown outstanding progress in the industry and can demonstrate an increase in performance.
    
Last year saw a tri-party collaboration between Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions, British Gas and Nissan take home the award for their electric van trial, which also netted British Gas the medium to large Fleet of the Year Award. The trial saw 28 vans trailed nationwide, which stood as the largest electric commercial vehicle evaluation to date. The trial took years to plan and research and represented a big step forward in sustainable fleet management, ultimately resulting in British Gas taking an order of 100 Nissan e-NV200s.

Further information
events.greenfleet.net/awards