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50 Spring 2022 BANISHING THE BURDEN OF REPORTING Vehicle tracking technology – telematics – can track exact mileage and produce emissions reports - vital when measuring the environmental impact of eet vehicles. Such data can also be consistently presented year on year, arming organisations with evidence of trends, and hopefully improvements, over time. e tracking of eet vehicles can also provide opportunities for route optimisation. Vehicles can be monitored and assigned according to their proximity to a job, ultimately saving on mileage and emissions but also time and productivity. What’s more, mixed eets can also bene t from telematics, particularly where vehicles aren’t the only emission- producing asset and, as a result, the likes of plant machinery and power tools should also be included in sustainability reporting. BENEFITS FROM BETTER DRIVING e Customer ermometer claims 13% of consumers would pay 31-50% more for products or services if they were under the impression that the business was making a positive impact. Assessing the use of telematics for eet tracking, the Department for Transport’s Energy Saving Trust states that: “In one study of company car drivers, a telematics system identi ed a 50% di erence in fuel economy being achieved in identical cars over similar journeys. Much of the excess fuel use was down to driving style, including excessive speed and harsh acceleration. By improving fuel economy and reducing time spent idling, a business can reduce its emissions and costs.” According to a research paper published by AA / DriveTech: “As an example, assuming each vehicle’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is around £700 per month and a driver population of 1,000, that means a spend on your eet of £8.4 million per annum of which £3.9 million is a ected by driver behaviour.” e research found direct correlation between the number of max throttle events per 100km and the number of insurance claims. According to an article in e Guardian, nano plastics from tyres wear-and-tear have now been recorded both at the South and North Pole. As the article deliberates, nanoparticles are exceptionally light and are thought to be blown to Greenland on winds from cities in North America and Asia. Better driving prolongs the usage of vehicle tyres and is both an environmental and a nancial incentive for any business. Again, the research from AA eet and DriveTech con rms: “Drivers who never braked harshly or only occasionally, incurred tyre costs averaging £172 per annumwhereas the costs of tyres for more persistent harsh braking was around £283 per annum, an increase of £111 or 73% in costs. Harsh acceleration and deceleration costs also directly impacted tyre spend negatively. Additionally, the total two-year maintenance spend was found to increase signi cantly (up to 160%) dependent on the number of maximum throttle ‘ oor to the oor’ events.” e use of telematics can also lead to cost-savings thanks to data-led insurance. CUTTING OUT THE GREY AREAS Another potential challenge eet managers may face when it comes to sustainability reporting is the accurate and e ective monitoring of grey eet vehicles. It has been estimated that 14 million grey eet vehicles are in use on the UK’s roads, with 9 million used for business journeys on a regular basis. In the words of the Energy Saving Trust “it is crucial that opportunities to reduce emissions and cut costs from grey eet are identi ed”. But that can seem daunting if all companies have to rely on is mileage and expenses claims. Privacy law compliant trackers can be installed onto personal cars – and drivers can easily choose which trips to declare as business. Undeclared trips won’t be tracked or logged, and can’t be claimed back in mileage. But trips that are declared can be easily factored in to carbon reports – particularly as the telematics technology will know the emissions level of the personal car and automatically adjust mileage rates for each user based on the vehicle type and miles claimed per month. Even better is the fact that the data is HMRC compliant and easily on hand should there be an audit. Although larger companies, and therefore eets, are the ones subject to mandatory carbon and sustainability reporting, smaller eets can still bene t. According to research from Sewells UK Van Fleet Market, 41% of van eets greater than 25 and 53% of van eets greater than 50 are using telematics. is compares to less than 10% for smaller eets – leaving up to 90% missing out. << “In one study of company car drivers, a telematics system identi ed a 50% di erence in fuel economy being achieved in identical cars over similar journeys. Much of the excess fuel use was down to driving style.”