Mercurien

Vehicle management, 5 tips to reduce your fleet's carbon footprint

Written by Duncan Ferguson | Jun 1, 2020 11:30:00 PM

Proper vehicle set-up and maintenance; it's all part of keeping your organisation lean, mean and green. It;s straightforward, easy to implement, part of good compliance, and helps keep your workers safe. Simple things like:

  1. Use the petrol that's recommended by the manufacturer. The Australian Department of the Environment's website states that "if you use regular unleaded in a car that's designed to run on premium unleaded you can expect slightly less performance and fractionally higher consumption. Using premium unleaded in a car designed for regular unleaded may give better fuel consumption is some newer vehicles but is unlikely to offset the extra cost of the fuel".
  2. Ensure vehicles are regularly serviced; maintenance experts claim that up to 25% of horsepower is lost to internal friction - engines, transmissions, differentials/final drives. So it's easy to comprehend how keeping parts and lubrication in peak condition can have a significant impact on fuel consumption.
  3. Keep tyre pressures at the recommended level; properly inflated tyres can increase fuel efficiency by 3.3%.
  4. Remove unnecessary weight, and that includes roof racks (unless they're an everyday necessity). The drag generated can cost as much as 25% extra in fuel usage.
  5. Limit the use of air-conditioning; we're not suggesting you turn it off completely and fry yourself, but don't crank it up too far. At external temperatures of 35°, air conditioning can increase fuel consumption by 38%.

Robust fleet management & maintenance is a key pillar of your organisation's efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Another key element being how your workers drive the vehicles; eco-driving. For more information on Eco-Driving see the blog article 'mmm'.

Please feel welcome to contact me to discuss the above article and/or how operational efficiency and safety intersect.

Duncan Ferguson
Head of Fleet & Human Factors, Mercurien.