Be Seen Go Green

Every vehicle purchasing decision will have an effect on the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for the lifetime of that vehicle. To help with vehicle choice ‘green’ labelling has been introduced, similar to the energy efficiency rating we are used to seeing on electrical appliances.

Lower CO2 vehicles usually cost less, over their lifetime
Not only will emissions be lower, fuel consumption and therefore cost will also be reduced as well as company car tax. In addition, from April 2008, cars emitting less than 120g/km of CO2 qualify for a 10% rate of BIK. They will also enjoy a 100% discount on the London congestion charge from October 27th 2008. Changes to capital allowances for business cars are due to take effect from April 2009. They will favour cars that emit 160g/km or less of CO2. This should make it more tax efficient to own or lease cleaner vehicles. More low-emission cars and light vans are coming onto the market in response to such incentives. Hybrids or electric cars are not the only way to achieve very low levels of CO2, nearly all the least polluting cars on sale in the UK have conventional petrol or diesel engines.

Petrol V Diesel
Petrol and diesel engines have different effects on the environment. Every litre of diesel fuel,
when burned, produces about 2.6kg of carbon dioxide. Petrol produces about 2.3kg of carbon
dioxide per litre. If drivers spend more time driving on motorways or on long distance trips, they should consider a diesel engine for fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. Petrol may be a better choice if vehicles will spend more time in town, where air quality is a greater consideration.
As more high-efficiency petrol cars come on to the market, it is important to base acquisition decisions on whole life costs, not just fuel type.

Initiate a low emission vehicle policy
Approaches to reducing CO2 emissions through vehicle policy will differ according to company
culture and the nature of existing employment contracts. Policies can be designed to limit maximum emissions, mainly through choice lists. Drivers can also be encouraged or incentivised
to make greener choices.

Here’s a checklist of carbon-friendly maintenance and vehicle awareness
practices:

Service your engine – A well-maintained engine can minimise CO2 emissions, so follow your
manufacturer’s recommendation on servicing. Information regarding service intervals can be
found in your vehicle manual.

Keep your tyres at the right pressure – Correctly inflated tyres are safer and last longer, an
under inflated tyre can increase CO2 by as much as 3%. An under or over inflated tyre will wear
more quickly and is also more susceptible to failing. The best time to check your tyre pressure is
when it’s cool outside or in the morning after your car has not been driven. Faulty wheel
alignment will also slow down the rolling resistance of your car increasing CO2 emissions and
wearing tyres out more quickly.

Use the correct oil – Always use the appropriate grade of motor oil, as the manufacturer’s
recommended lubricant can prevent unnecessary CO2 emissions. Higher quality oils can also help
your engine operate more efficiently. However, take care not to over-fill the oil.

Keep an eye on your fuel consumption – The more aware you are of the amount of fuel you use,
the more you can do to try to reduce your CO2. If you notice your fuel efficiency is decreasing it
could indicate a problem with your vehicle.

How do I shrink the carbon footprint of journeys?

Tackling unnecessary mileage – is an essential part of reducing CO2 emissions. You can also do a lot to minimise waste during the journeys that have to be made.

Plan trips and driving routes to avoid traffic congestion – Getting stuck in heavy traffic dramatically increases CO2 emissions per mile travelled. Use route planning tools in advance and set radios to receive traffic alerts. It is also worth considering that the quickest route could also be the longer route and so CO2 emissions could be higher.

Drive less – Encourage drivers to think about the trips they make and to use alternatives to
driving such as video conferencing or home working. Promote car sharing, especially where a
number of employees have to go to the same meetings.

Develop a corporate travel plan – Travel plans help businesses assess and simplify their travel
needs. Smaller companies can pool resources with neighbours to share costs and increase their
target audience The Department for Transport offers a comprehensive “Essential Guide to Travel
Planning” at its web site at: www.dft.gov.uk
What is the
Alternative fuels and vehicle technology

In response to the environmental impact vehicles have and Government legislation, technology and fuel types are being developed on a continuous basis. It is worth remembering that many of these developments require higher demand levels and infrastructure enhancements to be truly effective and offer a mainstream proposition

Vehicle development

Car manufacturers are constantly improving the efficiency of conventional engines using techniques such as advanced combustion control, automatic stop-start, regenerative braking and
lightweight materials. This will significantly reduce emissions from diesel and petrol over the next
few years without requiring radical new technologies to emerge.

Alternative fuels

Bio fuels emit less fossil-derived CO2 per mile, or are made from renewable sources. By 2010, all
retail fuel sold in the UK will contain a 5% of renewable ‘bio’ fuel, which is mixed prior to
distribution. This approach does not require any enhancement to engines and doesn’t affect prices at the pump. It is possible to run vehicles on higher concentrations of biofuel. However, the vehicles may have to be modified to prevent engine damage. There are also warranty implications as well as the issue of whether there is a sufficient refuelling infrastructure.

How fuel cards can help your fleet reduce CO2

Although careful selection of vehicles and fuel types play a major role in reducing emissions, fleets can still miss out on CO2 reductions if they do not closely monitor the performance of drivers and vehicles.

Fuel cards are a powerful tool when it comes to driving down CO2 emissions. They allow fleets to
capture actual fuel consumption and so emissions, which enables them to plan and manage their
CO2 reduction programmes. Arval provide a suite of reports for use by Fleet Managers. Using information obtained from Arval fuel cards high pence per mile figures and inefficient drivers can be pinpointed. This allows
action to be taken quickly, before costs and unnecessary CO2 emissions mount up.

There are many additional benefits of using a fuel card

The cost of fuel has risen dramatically. Today, it can account for as much as 25% of your entire fleet expenditure. Our fuel card is a simple, effective way to control this cost and keep paperwork to a minimum.

Arval offers the leading fuel management service in the UK and more than 1.2 million of our fuel
cards are now used in the UK. These are just some of the benefits you will expereince from this service.

The cost-saving alternative to pay and reclaim

If you currently re-imburse your drivers on a fixed pence per mile rate, you may be paying them
too much. Fuel card reporting gives you the actual fuel cost per mile. So, you could save substantially on business travel costs by paying staff the real cost of the fuel.

Easy access across the UK

Drivers can use fuel cards at 95% of the major UK filling stations where the AllStar logo is
displayed. This includes all the leading fuel brands, motorway services and low-cost supermarket
sites. With such a large network of fuel stations to choose from, your drivers won’t waste time
and fuel searching for somewhere to refuel, therefore reducing their carbon footprint.

Manage your fuel costs through management information

You can quickly find out where your fuel spend is going at any time with secure access to reports
over the web. Not only does this information enable you to set fleet policies and monitor
compliance, you might even pinpoint potential savings too.

Taking the hassle out of invoice processing

All your fuel costs appear on a single consolidated VAT invoice. Breakdown by card and cost
centre enable you to reallocate cost and produce reports with ease. What is more, the invoice is
approved by the HMRC for tax records. So, there is no longer any need to process individual till
receipts, saving you valuable time and resources.

Secure and flexible

Advanced security features, such as the ability to detect suspect patterns of transactions, make
fuel cards safe as well as convenient. And, we can block the use of lost or stolen cards within
moments of you reporting it to us.
You can also control how the card is used, restricting transactions to fuel, oil and vehicle washes
for example. You can even decide whether to allocate cards to drivers, vehicles or both, giving you flexibility as well as control.
Tips and advice