GreenFleet 81

COUNCIL EVs

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

www.greenfleet.net

ROAD TEST C4 CACTUS

ISSUE 81

LICENCE CHECKING

ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

As the counterpart driving licence disappears, fleets are urged to start checking electronically COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

DRIVER DIFFICULTIES Qualified professional drivers are at a shortage, so just who will drive our lorries and vans?

AIR QUALITY

DIESEL DILEMMA

The adoption of diesel has lowered CO2 emissions, but what price does air quality pay?

RETRO ROAD TEST: SINCLAIR C5 – 1980s ICON

D NLOA DOW NEW THE EET APP NFL GREE code e QR h t n a Sc

Thank you from Alphabet.

We’re delighted to have been awarded “Leasing Company of the Year 2014” at the recent GreenFleet awards.

We would like to thank GreenFleet for recognising us for “making the biggest strides towards environmental considerations in our leasing policies”.

This award reaffirms our commitment to delivering the industry shaping products and services you’ve come to expect from us including AlphaCity our Corporate CarSharing scheme and AlphaElectric our 360 ⁰ consultancy service.

Find out more:

Tel: 0870 50 50 100 Email: alphabet@alphabet.co.uk www.alphabet.co.uk

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

www.greenfleet.net

ROAD TEST C4 CACTUS

ISSUE 81

LICENCE CHECKING

ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

As the counterpart driving licence disappears, fleets are urged to start checking electronically COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

DRIVER DIFFICULTIES Qualified professional drivers are at a shortage, so just who will drive our lorries and vans?

AIR QUALITY

DIESEL DILEMMA

The adoption of diesel has lowered CO2 emissions, but what price does air quality pay?

RETRO ROAD TEST: SINCLAIR C5 – 1980s ICON

LOAD DOWNNEW THE ET APP NFLE GREE code the QR Scan

COMMENT

COUNCIL EVs

Diesel: a clean air smokescreen?

Air quality is by no means a new dilemma to face the fleet industry, but the rush to adopt diesel engines in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions has, over the last few years, played its part in augmenting the problem.​ Air quality hotspots in cities across the UK need to clean up their act.

The Environmental Audit Committee’s latest report sets out a number of recommendations, including a diesel scrappage scheme and fiscal measures to encourage a move to less polluting options.

However, for the freight sector in particular, these options are not straightforward.

Low Emission Zones, says the report, are the most powerful tool a local authority has at it’s disposal in order to bring about air quality improvements.

More about the diesel dilemma on p15.

Scotland leads the way in EV adoption. A report by Intelligent Energy (see page 28) charts the top ten local authority EV users.

Amongst the top five, Scotland has 80 per cent of the total vehicles in use. GreenFleet has played a role in the meteoric rise of EVs north of the border. The GreenFleet Scotland event has been providing fleet managers with the opportunity to take the latest technology for a spin since 2009, and once

again takes place in Edinburgh on 10th April.

The SMMT’s January figures chart an big rise in the number of alternatively‑fuelled vehicles (4598 compared to last year’s figure 2859) – a clear sign that consumers are at last becoming more comfortable with them, according to David Raistrick of Deloitte (see page 7).

Angela Pisanu, editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE-TO-FACE If you would like to receive 10 issues of GreenFleet magazine for £200 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 GreenFleet® would like to thank the following organisations for their support:

PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITOR Angela Pisanu EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Michael Lyons EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danny Wright PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Gooding PRODUCTION CONTROL Jacqueline Lawford, Jo Golding WEB PRODUCTION Reiss Malone PUBLISHER Martin Freedman ACCOUNT MANAGER Kylie Glover ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Vickie Hopkins REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

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Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

3

FUEL RECORD BROKEN.

YOU

SCANIA

SAVE ON FUEL. 12.13 mpg. That’s the new record set by the Scania G410 with a 40-tonne tractor and trailer combination on the demanding test route north of Munich. It set the record in the process of winning the ‘Green Truck 2014’ award run by respected German trade magazines VerkehrsRundschau and Trucker. You can see details of the test and results at scania.co.uk/recordbreaker It’s the lowest consumption they’ve ever measured for a heavy tractor in this test. 0.67 mpg better than its nearest rival. That’s what it takes to be a record breaker.

CONTENTS

Contents GreenFleet 81 09 News

15

Big rise in alternatively-fuelled vehicle sales; report urges more support for LPG

15 Air quality

In the race to lower CO2, the adoption of diesel engines in fleets and passenger vehicles is partly responsible for an air quality problem which needs urgent action, reiterated in a damning recent report from the Environmental Action Committee

21 Alternative fuels

Stella Allen from the Scottish Biofuel Programme explains how the country is using imaginative ways to convert waste products into sustainable biofuels

26 Licence checking

Fleet managers should be aware that an electronic way to check employee’s driving entitlement is already available, writes the Association for Driving Licence Verification

21

28 Electric vehicles

One third of councils across the UK have at least one electric vehicle on its fleet, according to a new study. But which councils have the most? Scotland takes the lead with Dundee City Council in the top spot, and three other Scottish councils in the top five

28

31 Commercial vehicles

In the logistics sector, there is a real worry that there simply are not enough qualified professional drivers. Julie Maddocks from the Freight Transport Association investigates the problem

37 Event preview: 2015 CV Show

From truck, van, trailer and fork lift manufacturers through to the ancillary service providers, the Commercial Vehicle Show this April offers something for everyone in the transport, distribution and logistics industry

43 Event preview: GreenFleet North West

Taking the form of a seminar, closed-room sessions and test drives, GreenFleet North West will allow fleet managers from the Merseyside area to assess whether electric and plug-in vehicles are right for their business

44 Road test: Sinclair C5

Ahead of its time, or just a whimsical folly?

The Sinclair C5 was set to revolutionise the urban landscape and provide emission‑free, personal transport. So why didn’t it? On its 30th anniversary, we take a ride in Sir Clive Sinclair’s first electric vehicle

46 Road test: Citroen C4 Cactus

With a reputation for innovative models such as the Traction Avant, 2CV and DS, Citroën marks a return to its engineering‑led roots with the C4 Cactus. But is it a prickly customer? Richard Gooding finds out

48 Road test: Fiat Panda Cross

The new Fiat Panda Cross combines off‑road functionality with the practicality of a city car, finds Angela Pisanu

44 37 46

GreenFleet magazine

www.greenfleet.net Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

5

NEWS

News in brief AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY NEWS

SMMT reports big January rise in alternatively-fuelled vehicle sales

The SMMT’s latest figures reveal a positive start to 2015 for new car market.

Registrations were up 6.7 per cent in January – the strongest start to a year since 2007, with alternatively‑fuelled vehicles registrations recording an impressive 60.8 per cent increase (4598) on last year’s figure (2859).

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes remarked: “Registrations of plug-in vehicles were particularly strong as consumers responded to a greater choice of makes and models delivering lower running costs.”

The commercial vehicle market grew for ninth consecutive month, up 23.2 per cent to 24,567 units. Truck registrations increased 38.6 per cent to 2,518 units, with the van market continuing growth, up 21.7 per cent to 22,049 units.

Bus and coach registrations rose 48.6 per cent to 715, the most successful start to a year since 2008.

Growth was driven by a 90.4% rise in purpose-built buses, following the fulfilment of several large orders.

“January’s increase in bus and coach registrations is good news for the sector, however, given the variable nature of demand in this market, one month of growth, while encouraging, should be viewed cautiously,” said Hawes.

According to David Raistrick, UK automotive leader at Deloitte, the figures represent the start of the rise in alternatively‑fuelled vehicle sales, but doesn’t mean they are yet mainstream.

He told the Telegraph: “The rise in registrations of alternatively‑fuelled vehicles (AFVs) shows that consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with AFVs as a concept.

“With battery replacement cost and range still concerns for consumers, it will probably be a number of years before they become the mainstream but this is certainly the start of the rise of AFVs.” READ MORE tinyurl.com/p2k5n56

HYBRID BATTERIES

Toyota extends battery collection programme to independent dealers Toyota is extending its hybrid battery collection programme from its own retail network to independent end-of-life vehicle treatment operators. The target is to increase the current recovery rate of 91 per cent to 100 per cent of used Toyota and Lexus hybrid batteries across Europe.

The strategy includes an extension of recycling agreements with SNAM in France (for nickel-metal hydride batteries) and Umicore in Belgium (lithium-ion batteries) until 31 March 2018.

The hybrid batteries used in Toyota and Lexus models can last longer the vehicles themselves, so often they are only recovered when the cars reach the end of their useful life, or if they have been involved in an accident. Toyota is now widening its strategy and targeting a 100 per cent result.

Used hybrid batteries are still mainly destined for recycling, but Toyota has started

to research options for the remanufacture of NiMh batteries, potentially giving them a second life as a vehicle or a stationary energy source. Stationary batteries can potentially store surplus renewable energy.

Since 2000, some 850,000 Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles have been sold in Europe.

EU Road Toll scheme aims to improve efficiency Following the announcement of plans to develop a Europe-wide scheme to charge cars and lorries for using roads, sustainable transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) has said that smart and environmentally-differentiated road user charging will improve transport efficiency and clean up vehicle fleets.

Announced by European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the scheme is to be optional, meaning that member states can opt out. The fees would be based on the distance driven and not be time-dependent, which would bolster more efficient use of roads.

William Todts, senior policy officer at T&E, commented: “EU governments are all faced with similar problems: falling fuel tax revenues, heavy congestion, and stubbornly high transport emissions. Smart, distance‑based tolls are the way to tackle these problems head-on, and Europe can play a very useful role in making sure that systems across the continent work together as well as possible.”

READ MORE tinyurl.com/nbkd2ls

Safer Lorry Scheme will ban unsafe HGVs from London The Mayor of London and London Councils have approved a ban on any lorry not fitted with safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposed ‘Safer Lorry Scheme’ was backed by 90 per cent of Londoners responding to a consultation. It will require vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with sideguards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision and Class V and Class VI mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicle.

Traffic orders implementing the scheme are being drawn up for its September start. The maximum fine for each breach of the ban will be £1,000 and each operator flouting the rules will be referred to the traffic commissioner responsible for licensing and regulating HGV operators. Boris Johnson said: “A large number of cyclist deaths and serious injuries involve a relatively small number of trucks and lorries that are not fitted with basic safety equipment. Such vehicles are not welcome in the capital.”

The scheme is part of TfL’s Cycle Safety Action Plan.

READ MORE

READ MORE

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Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

9

Automotive Leasing Leading the way

Green Economics Finding new ways to reduce costs without putting longer term goals at risk is a real challenge. Many organisations find that whilst there may be a desire to create a sustainable low carbon fleet, delivering savings in the short and medium term becomes a higher priority.

So, do you have to choose between environmental goals and budgetary demands? Not when you talk to the right people. As environmental fleet management award winners, we can help you create and implement a green fleet policy that does far more than care for the environment. It protects your drivers, minimises risk and reduces the overall cost of running your fleet.

To find out more, just call: 0844 493 5840 Email: hello@automotive-leasing.co.uk

automotive-leasing.org

NEWS

FREIGHT

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

FTA helps with ESOS assessments

Report urges more support for LPG; Autogas Ltd rebrands

As the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), administered by the Environment Agency, is to be introduced this year, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has announced plans to help the industry comply with its requirements.

In line with the EU Energy Directive, the mandatory energy assessment applies throughout the UK to all large companies (over 250 employees) who will be required to conduct energy audits every four years, with the first needing to take place by 5 December 2015.

Through the FTA managed Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) the Association has been engaged with the development of ESOS. Within the publication of government best practice guidance, the LCRS has been highlighted as a scheme that can help companies in scope of ESOS compile the necessary freight transport data for energy audits.

Karen Packham, FTA General Manager of Consultancy and Tendering, said: “FTA is best placed to offer practical advice and is able to provide specialist audits to ensure members are fully compliant with the ESOS requirements, and will gain all the benefits that the scheme has to offer.”

ABOUT THE ESOS SCHEME

An LPG industry report is calling upon Government to adopt a series of measures which it says could help improve air quality in the UK. In the report A Low Carbon Alternative Fuel For Today the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) industry identifies a number of key actions it believes the Government should adopt, including a more integrated road fuels strategy designed to restore confidence to the sector and encourage a genuine partnership between the industry, vehicle manufacturers and policy makers.

“A proper integrated fuels strategy, which includes LPG, is essential to help the UK tackle its growing air quality and carbon emissions problems,” commented Linda Gomersall, general manager, Autogas Limited. “This new document is a result of extensive consultation and sets out some very clear, yet incredibly simple ways in which Government could help the industry address these critical environmental and health issues.”

Measures recommended include replacing individual fuel strategies with an integrated fuels strategy for all fuels; introducing incentive schemes to remove the most polluting cars from the road (potentially through conversion to LPG); providing wider support for local authorities to convert their fleets to less polluting fuel types; reviewing wider incentives for road fuels through working with local authorities and

the Mayor of London; ensuring greater consultation with government departments; and giving air pollution the same level of priority as tackling climate change.

Although it is not a renewable fuel, vehicles powered by LPG emit significantly fewer harmful pollutants such as CO2, NOx and particulate matter than petrol or diesel models.

Meanwhile, Autogas Ltd is undergoing a major rebranding exercise. The new identity is to be rolled out across the company’s 215 refuelling sites, which are used by more than 150,000 drivers of LPG vehicles.

The company has also launched a new website which provides motorists with information about the cost‑saving, health and environmental advantages of LPG autogas, as well as helping them find a quality specialist service centre that can convert their car to run on the fuel and a series of case studies about businesses and individuals who have all saved by switching to LPG. Linda Gomersall said: “LPG autogas provides motorists with a breath of fresh air and we’re delighted to launch our new identity which reflects these attributes much more closely.”

READ MORE tinyurl.com/jwpf54z

EV RESTORATION

tinyurl.com/okx5psg

INFRASTRUCTURE

ULEV funding deadline nears The second of three deadlines for UK local authorities to apply for a share of £35 million government funding to support the adoption of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in cities is February 20th.

The fund will be shared between up to four cities, which can use it to support a number of measures including installing EV infrastructure and introducing low emission zones. The measures which bids may consider include both hard measures including recharging/fuelling infrastructure, and soft measures such as public procurement, behaviour-related and community measures (e.g. car clubs).

READ MORE tinyurl.com/mwpw6pc

Audi restores vintage EV van Audi Tradition has completed a full restoration of a blue 1956 DKW Elektro‑Wagen to add to the company’s collection of historic vehicles. Audi estimates that DKW built about 100 of these electric vans between 1955 and 1962, primarily sold to energy companies, public utilities and battery makers. However, only two are still known to exist.

To create the EV model, DKW took its normal Schnellaster delivery van and replaced the model’s two-stroke engine with an electric drivetrain. The motor produced about 6.7 horsepower and lead‑acid batteries offered 200 amp hours of power running at 80 volts. It gave the Elektro-Wagen a claimed range of about 50 miles and a 25 mile-per-hour top speed.

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

11

NEWS

POLICY

ICCT reports on the state of clean transport policy

LowCVP’s Andy Eastlake Smart Cities need smart policies to bring Green Fleets?

Another very interesting initiative from OLEV is the Smart Cities programme. For which the expressions of interest were submitted in February. I expect some amongst you GreenFleet readers were at the workshop event in late January to hear the details.

OLEV anticipates that the £35m fund will be shared between about four cities who submit the best proposals. These cities that are chosen will offer a great opportunity for those in the process of ‘greening’ their fleet, or with green aspirations, to benefit from the provision of infrastructure and integrated policies to enhance the benefits, for example, and gain access to new low emission zones.

OLEV says that the bids can include both ‘hard’ measures including recharging/fuelling infrastructure, and ‘soft’ measures such as public procurement, behaviour-related and community measures (e.g. car clubs). Importantly the funding, like many other programmes, is aimed at stimulating large scale change in these cities, including the fleets of vehicles operating in and around the city conurbations The LowCVP is currently working with partners to develop a policy guidance framework that should enable local and regional governments to increase the market for low carbon cars and vans through a toolkit of policy options.

The project is analysing policy inventions put in place by cities in the UK and Europe and identifying best practice measures.

One of our primary aims (which should be music to the ears of fleet managers, is to try to create a framework of consistent policy approach so that for example, the car you buy to work in one low emission zone, is also eligible to drive in the others!

It can sometimes be too easy for a local government to narrowly focus on the vehicles in their city, without realising that those vehicles actually operate nationally and the fleets need a national framework in order to be able to make any significant changes to purchase strategies.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Government has announced its own version of the Go Ultra Low City scheme. China Daily reports that Pilot Cities for New Energy Vehicles will include Xiamen, which is expected to promote the use of 2,480 new energy vehicles, including 600 buses in the city from 2014 to 2015. Besides, it is scheduled that all of the official and government vehicles on Xiamen Island will be updated into new-energy vehicles by the end of 2020.

Done well, the power of Local Policies can make a huge contribution to the attractiveness of related green fleet options, however, done badly it can stifle the ambition of a fleet manager wanting to contribute to the low carbon agenda.

So arguably Smart Cities need not only Green Fleets but also Smart and Green fleet managers.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.lowcvp.org.uk and follow LowCVP on Twitter: @theLowCVP and @aeastlake

12

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has produced a new report which summarises advances in national and international regulations intended to mitigate climate change and control air pollution from vehicles and fuels. The report examines data across eleven major vehicle markets from January 2013 through August 2014.

The state of clean transport policy: A 2014 synthesis of vehicle and fuel policy developments covers eleven vehicle markets – China, the US, the European Union, Japan, Brazil, India, Russia, Canada, South Korea, Australia, and Mexico—which represented 85 per cent of total vehicle sales in 2013. It quantifies benefits associated with environmental policies for light and heavy‑duty vehicles, marine vessels, aircraft, and fuels in terms of reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and local air pollution, fuel savings, and benefits to public health.

By 2030, transport emissions are expected to increase by roughly two-thirds, to 15 GtCO2, and oil consumption to rise to 78 mbd. Based on the assessment offered in the report, total reductions from policies adopted in major markets will lower projected baseline emissions by 2.2 GtCO2 and fuel consumption by 11mbd, equivalent to about a 13 per cent reduction.

Authored by Joshua D Miller and Cristiano Façanha.

The report’s scope excludes motorcycles, locomotives, and off-road vehicles. Future editions may expand to include other modes of transport or regulations for mobile refrigerants. Also excluded from this report are policies aimed at reducing transport activity and shifting people and goods to more environmentally‑friendly modes.

READ THE REPORT tinyurl.com/o8xpc7a

EUROPEAN EMISSIONS

Report ranks CO2 emissions from new cars in Europe Transport & Environment’s latest report How Clean are Europe’s cars has found that countries with the lowest CO2₂ emissions from new cars usually have registration and company car taxes which are strongly graduated according to CO2₂ emissions and have the greatest influence on car buyers’ choices.

The Netherlands had the lowest CO2₂emissions from new cars of all 28 EU member states in 2013 at 109 g/km. The country saw the second best overall reduction, 30.4 per cent, since the EU introduced binding CO2₂limits for new cars in 2008.

The Netherlands’ car registration tax is steeply differentiated by fuel economy while it has exemptions from circulation tax for very low-carbon vehicles including electric cars.

It also strongly differentiates against CO2₂emissions in the taxation of ‘benefit in kind’ payments.

Germany, the largest European car market, was the worst performer of the EU’s 15 longest participating member states with 136.1 g/km. It has no significant registration tax and annual circulation taxes are so weakly graduated according to CO2₂ emissions as to have little effect on consumer choice. Company cars are hugely subsidised with a benefit-in-kind payment of 12 per cent of the car price per year, not differentiated by CO2.

However, car taxes graduated according to CO2₂emissions have sharply increased the share of diesel cars, which typically have around 15 per cent lower tailpipe CO2 emissions than petrol cars but are a major cause of pollution in urban areas and 400,000 premature deaths every year.

READ MORE tinyurl.com/pymxuny

NEWS

News in brief Volkwagen’s three‑year CCS framework Volkswagen Group UK has secured a three-year contract under the new Crown Commercial Services (CCS) vehicle supply framework agreement a supplier to the public sector, police and emergency services.

The new agreement, which took effect in December, supersedes two agreements which had treated the public sector and the police and emergency services separately, ensuring a wider audience for the Group’s range of cars and vans.

EV CHARGING

Tesla expands UK charging network through Sainsbury’s American electric car manufacturer, Tesla is continuing the expansion of its fast charging network throughout the UK. Three stations added in Winchester, Exeter and Bristol are all in Sainsbury’s supermarket car parks, allowing drivers to charge while they shop.

“We’re excited to partner with Sainsbury’s to continue the expansion of the country’s fast-charging network for long-distance travel in electric cars,” said Georg Ell, Tesla’s UK Director. “With Sainsbury’s, Model S drivers can stop for a charge, use the Supermarket café, do a quick shop and get on their way again.”

The company has already installed chargers at hotels and shopping centres, including Brent Cross shopping centre and Westfield White City in London, as well as along well-travelled routes from Exeter to Edinburgh, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and near the Eurotunnel.

The company now has around 670 chargers in Europe and more than 1,600

READ MORE

worldwide and is readying its first battery-swap station in California.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has been active in installing chargers, which help pull in customers who, according to research by charger company Podpoint, tend to be more affluent and spend longer in store.

Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of sustainability, said: “I’m delighted to see these new facilities at our stores, making it easier than ever for customers to use electric vehicles, charging as they shop.”

Tesla’s Model S electric car has a range of 312 miles per charge (according to its NEDC rating). Tesla Superchargers replenish half a charge in as little as 20 minutes and are conveniently placed along well-travelled routes to enable long-distance travel.

tinyurl.com/kjrae8k

Chargemaster reaches 1 million Electric vehicles in the UK have charged a total of one million times using Chargemaster’s nationwide network of charging points. These have provided drivers with a total of around 9.5 million kWh of electricity since September 2012. In 2014, Chargemaster installed its 10,000th public and commercial charging point. Chargemaster records all charging events through its back office system and while it took nearly two years to rack up 500,000 charges – from the first one in September 2012 to half a million in July 2014 – it took just six months to reach its one millionth charge.

READ MORE

READ MORE tinyurl.com/mpvr67x

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

tinyurl.com/lmay55m

e-NV200 cleans up at awards The all-electric Nissan e-NV200 has scooped its sixth industry award in as many months, after being named Best Green at the Business Van of the Year awards in London.

In December, the e-NV200 won the What Van? magazine Green Award. It has also been named Industry Innovation of the Year by GreenFleet, LCV of the Year by Next Green Car and has helped Nissan to the ULEV Manufacturer of the Year title at the Energy Saving Trust’s Fleet Hero awards and the Green Van Manufacturer of the Year title at the Fleet Van Awards.

Congratulating Nissan, Ralph Morton, of Business Van, said: “Going green has never been so easy. The electric e-NV200 is just like the standard NV200 except

it costs just two pence per mile to run, has a range in excess of 100 miles, is emission free, and still manages to provide an uncompromising flat load-space floor.

It’s a brilliant achievement and the van to change the perception of the electric van.”

New Toyotas for Co-wheels car clubs

Co-wheels car club is taking delivery of 80 new Toyota hybrids as it expands its national fleet. Co-wheels provides fleet management services for a number of organisations, operating in more than 40 UK locations. The new vehicles, attained on a two-to-three-year renewal cycle, are supplied with a telematics system constructed to create a fully connected, shared resource.

READ MORE

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tinyurl.com/lngap4j Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

13

AIR QUALITY

Dirty diesel doing damage In the race to lower CO2, the adoption of diesel engines in fleets and passenger vehicles is partly responsible for an air quality problem which needs urgent action, reiterated in a damning recent report from the Environmental Action Committee

According to the Environmental Audit Committee’s latest report into air quality (its third report if five years) traffic is responsible for 42 per cent of carbon monoxide, 46 per cent of nitrogen oxides and 26 per cent of particulate matter pollution. To put this into a morbid and sobering perspective, in April last year Public Health England published data which indicated an increased mortality from air pollution, estimating 29,000 deaths annually in the UK. Experts say a quarter of these can be directly related to transport emissions, and diesel is rapidly becoming a dirty word.

Over the last few years, Government incentives have encouraged procurement of diesel rather than petrol vehicles because they were considered to be more environmentally friendly. Greater fuel efficiency produced less CO2 per mile, and therefore less greenhouse emissions. During moves to

slow down global warming and the gradual depletion of the ozone layer, air quality took a hit, particularly in congested areas.

Diesel engines produce Nitrogen Dioxide, known to cause inflammation of the airways, reduce lung function and exacerbate asthma. Particulate matter – tiny invisible specks of mineral dust, carbon and other chemicals, are linked to heart and lung disease as well as cancer.

Londonted ra has ope ission m a low e ce 2008 The enemy n zone si lans to So in today’s slightly cleaner and p a limited fuel marketplace, e c u d intro ra Low diesel is the enemy.

Ult The move towards Zone lowering n o i CO emissions s s i Em 0 (and, it has to be said, 2 0 2 in the lack of alternatives for 2

commercial vehicles such as buses, taxis and those for heavy goods) have been a major part of the problem. In June 2014, research work commissioned

by The RAC Foundation explained: “This is a consequence of the focus on

climate change. The automobile industry’s response to the European average new car CO2 emissions targets of 130g/km by 2015 and 95g/km by 2021 has been to make more diesel cars, as these are more fuel‑efficient than their petrol counterparts.

And greater fuel efficiency equals lower CO2 emissions. Unsurprisingly individual and fleet buyers have responded by choosing diesel, enticed not only by the prospect of reduced fuel costs, but also by lower rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax incentives, which reward low CO2 options.”

Air pollution limits are regularly exceeded in 16 areas of the UK: Greater London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Teesside, the Potteries, Hull, Southampton, Glasgow, the East, the South East, the East Midlands, Merseyside, Yorkshire & Humberside, the West Midlands, and the North East.

In April last year legal proceedings were launched against the UK for failing to address the problem, hailing the levels of Nitrogen Oxide in some cities as ‘excessive’.

Britain was supposed to meet EU limits by 2010, but the government admits that London alone won’t achieve E Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

15

Fiat Professional with Fiat Professional with

NEW DOBLÒ CARGO. EVERYTHING STARTS FROM YOU. MP3 RADIO & BLUETOOTH

NOISE REDUCTION

BEST IN CLASS CARGO CAPACITY BI-LINK REAR SUSPENSION

MORE FUNCTIONALITY with the best cargo capacity and payload in its category. MORE PERFORMANCE with exclusive bi-link suspension for best drivability, improved engine flexibility and higher torque response. MORE VALUE with up to 15% fuel consumption saving with EcoJet*.

Explore the full range at www.fiatprofessional.co.uk

NEW DOBLÒ CARGO. A BETTER WAY TO WORK. Fuel consumption figures for the Fiat Doblo Cargò 1.3 90 MultiJet II Euro 5+ in mpg (l/100km): Combined 56.5 (5.0) CO2 emissions 133g/km. Euro 5+ with start/stop: 58.9 (4.8), CO2 emissions 126g/km.

*Fuel consumption figures for the model shown with EcoJet pack: Combined 64.2 (4.4) CO2 emissions 115g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures based on standard EU tests for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Factors such as driving style, weather and road conditions may also have a significant effect on fuel consumption. CO2 figures are for comparative purposes in accordance with the VCA van CO2 & fuel consumption database.

The Dirty Diesel Generation The Mayor of Paris has announced radical plans to ban diesel cars from the French capital by 2020. France, which has the highest number of diesel cars on the road, will now ban the cars out right with Anne Hidalgo, the Parisian Mayor pledging “an end to diesel in Paris in 2020”.

Her London counterpart, Boris Johnson, currently plans to raise the congestion charge for diesel cars by £10 in a move to cut air pollution. The change would mean diesel drivers could have to pay a total of £20 to get into Central London. Under the plans petrol cars registered before 2006 would also have to pay extra. Boris wants this in place by 2020. But is this enough?

Stephen Joseph of the Campaign for Better Transport, told the Telegraph: “I think the motor industry is wholly unprepared for the way in which the science is turning against diesels. The sciences is hardening up and it is showing different and serious health damage which is a really serious problem.”

In 2014, Matthew Pencharz, Boris Johnson’s senior advisor for environment and energy, declared: “Over recent years the Euro diesel engine standards have not delivered the emission savings expected, yet governments have been incentivising us to buy them. This has left us with a generation of dirty diesels.”

and the council has hailed the impact of the LEZ on the city’s air quality.

Oxford councillor John Tanner, board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford, told Air Quality News: said: “I’m thrilled to see the latest results which suggest our Low Emission Zone is indeed cleaning up Oxford’s air. Well done to the bus companies for cleaning up their act.

We will continue to monitor air quality and take further steps if necessary.”

There are signs of action in many other parts of the UK. A low emission zone framework and accompanying air quality modelling methodology are to be developed by the Scottish Government under plans outlined in its draft Scottish Low Emission Strategy. A 12-week consultation on the Strategy was launched in January after several delays and includes proposals aimed at making Scotland’s air “amongst the cleanest in Europe”.

Ultra Low plan London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone LEZ (ULEZ) is planned to take effect in September 2020 and would require all vehicles driving in central London to meet new exhaust emission standards.

Those that don’t could still be driven in central London but a daily charge would apply. All taxis and new private hire vehicles presented for licensing from 2018 would need to be zero emission capable.

A reduction in the age limit for all non zero‑emission capable taxis from 2020 from 15 to 10 years (irrespective of date of licensing), and further Investment in the TfL bus fleet so that all double decker buses operating in central London will be hybrid and all single deck buses will be zero emission (at source) by 2020.

There are other options open to local authorities to help with the problem.

Labour-run Islington Council has approved plans to place an annual surcharge on diesel vehicle parking permits, starting in April this year. Some diesels, including taxis and those used by carers and tradespeople for work, would be exempt from the charge.

Councillor Claudia Webbe says the surcharge was designed to tackle diesel emissions. She told BusinessGreen website: “We believe that the evidence on diesel vehicles is strong. It damages people’s health and we think it’s right and proper that we try to stem the growth of diesel vehicles and that we surcharge those vehicles that are providing the most damaging pollution.”

In its damning report, Environmental Audit Committee recommends the examination of fiscal measures to encourage the move away from diesel, and the consideration of the diesel scrappage scheme to help drivers switch.

Anne e , th HidalgoMayor, Parisian ounced has annans to ban pl radical l cars from diese ch capital the Fren2020 by

Low Emission Zones Also known as Environment Zones throughout Europe, LEZs are one of the most powerful tools that local authorities have for controlling vehicle emissions.

200 cities and towns in 10 countries around Europe already have in place, but according to the report, the UK needs more.

London has operated a low emission zone since 2008 and plans to introduce a limited Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2020, but elsewhere in the UK few have been set up. Those that have been are limited in scope. In contrast, Germany has a national framework of over 70 LEZs. As well as in London, action on LEZs in the UK has so far seen them introduced in Oxford, Norwich and now Brighton.

Enforced in January this year, Brighton & Hove Council’s LEZ affected around 98 per cent of bus routes through the city, according to the city council. Oxford’s LEZ, introduced a year earlier in 2014, has witnessed air quality improvements during its first year of operation.

Preliminary results for 2014 confirm that there were no exceedances of the national 200ug3 (microgrammes per cubic metre) limit throughout the entire year,

Include legal air quality obligations in new infrastructure and road building plans

AIR QUALITY

 this standard until 2025. Several other EU members, including France, Sweden, Denmark and Greece have also exceeded the levels and are in a similar situation.

Environmental Audit Committee recommendations

Close legal loopholes that allow mechanics firms to remove engine filter from HGVs; Examine fiscal measures to gradually encourage a move away from diesel vehicles Consider introducing a diesel scrappage scheme to help drivers switch to cleaner vehicles Launch an independent public inquiry to look at the required action on air pollution Apply pressure at European level to ensure effective EU legislation and 5 emission standards backed up by a robust testing regime

Committee Chair Joan Whalley MP stated: “Low emission zones in cities could save lives, but diesel drivers who face extra charges deserve to be compensated so they can switch to less polluting vehicles.

A national framework for low emission zones could save councils from having to reinvent the wheel each time by providing a template with common core features, such as a national certification scheme for vehicle emissions.”

“Well over a thousand schools around the country are 150 metres away from major roads. Protecting children and vulnerable people in the worst affected areas must be made a priority by Government and Local Authorities. Ministers must pluck up the political courage to take the potentially unpopular decisions necessary to get the most polluting vehicles off the road and encourage more people to walk, cycle or take public transport.”

Alternatives Part of the problem lies in that for many applications, such as Heavy Goods Vehicles and bespoke plant, fit‑for‑purpose alternatives to diesel are few and far between, and expensive.

In the next issue GreenFleet will be investigating what commercial fleets can do (and have been doing) in the short and long term to address the problems caused by the rise of dirty diesel. FURTHER INFORMATION Environment Committee Air Quality report: tinyurl.com/ohaolnb TfL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone plans: tinyurl.com/pub8noy www.airqualitynews.com

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

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STEAM ENGINE

THE WHEEL 3500 BC

1712 NAVIGATIONAL CLOCK

ELECTRICITY 1752

1740

ALUMINIUM 1825

ENVIRONMENTALISM JET ENGINE 1930

WE HAVEN’T JUST MADE HISTORY.

WE’VE MADE A 4WD THAT’S GREENER THAN A CONVENTIONAL SMALL CAR. With the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, we haven’t just made a car – we’ve created a vehicle that really is a friend of the earth. The fusion of electric and petrol technology can deliver a staggering 148 mpg1 and creates a fraction of the CO2 emissions of even a conventional small car - just 44g/km. As a result you’ll pay no road tax or Congestion Charge. Business users will only pay 5% Benefit in Kind rather than the 25%+ that most business users pay2. If your commute is less than 30 miles your petrol consumption will be minimal too. That’s because, in full electric mode, the Outlander PHEV has a range of up to 32 miles. Its combined petrol and electric range is an incredible 510 miles3. Plus its battery can be charged in a few hours via a domestic plug socket4 or a home Charge Point5. We’ve made history – you just need to make time for a test drive.

We call this Intelligent Motion.

Make time for a test drive | Search: Outlander PHEV Visit: mitsubishi-cars.co.uk to find your nearest dealer

1960’s

THE WORLD’S FIRST 4WD PLUG-IN HYBRID SUV FROM £28,249 Including £5,000 Government Plug-in Car Grant6

1. Official EU MPG test figure shown as a guide for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. 2. 5% BIK compared to average rate of 25%+. 3. 32 mile EV range achieved with full battery charge. 510 miles achieved with combined full battery and petrol tank. Actual range may vary depending on driving style and road conditions. 4. Domestic plug charge: 5 hours, 16 Amp home charge point: 3.5 hours, 80% rapid charge: 30mins. 5. Government subsidised charge points are available from a number of suppliers either free of charge or for a small fee – ask your dealer for more information. Offer ends 31st March 2015. 6. Prices start from £28,249 for Outlander PHEV GX3h. Metallic/pearlescent paint extra. Model shown is an Outlander PHEV GX4h at £33,399 including metallic paint. Prices shown include the Government Plug-in Car Grant and VAT (at 20%), exclude VED and First Registration Fee. Prices correct at time of going to print. For more information about the Government Plug-in Car Grant please visit www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants.

Outlander PHEV range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Full Battery Charge: no fuel used, Depleted Battery Charge: 48mpg (5.9), Weighted Average: 148mpg (1.9), CO2 Emissions: 44 g/km.

Scotland’s Premier Low Emission Vehicle Event Friday 10 April 2015 Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh

Register for FREE at events.greenfleet.net/scotland

Stella Allen from the Scottish Biofuel Programme explains how the country is using imaginative ways to convert waste products into sustainable biofuels

Infrastructure Both technologies require the implementation of their own supportive infrastructure, the cost of which would be substantial. This is where biofuels come in to play, as they can work with already existing infrastructure and vehicles while significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Not a new fuel Biofuel is not a new invention. It has a long history in the motor industry, stretching all the way back to the 1800s and the development of the internal combustion engines. Rudolf Diesel designed his compression engine to run on peanut oil. The first Model T Fords ran on bioethanol. Henry Ford was an advocate for bioethanol and he had a vision to “build a vehicle affordable to the working family and powered by a fuel that would boost the rural farm economy.”

Great – sign me up.

Unfortunately the road to an economically viable biofuel is a bumpy one.

There are many factors which need addressed for the biofuel market to compete with established fossil fuels.

Indeed some biofuel production practices can have as much of a carbon foot print as fossil fuels so care must be taken to ensure sustainability. Sustainable biofuel should not compete with food, however making resource-efficient use of waste offers an attractive vision.

In recent years there has been a lot of creative thinking around potential feedstocks, for example ‘fatbergs’ formed from

fats and oils in the sewerage system, the Bath ‘poo bus’ running on biogas made from human and food waste. The advantage of biofuels it that they offer a higher value and environmentally-preferable solution than sending material to landfill.

Cashing-in on biofuel expertise The Scottish Biofuel Programme is a Scottish Government and EU-funded programme set up to provide Scottish small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) access to academic expertise to take advantage of new biofuel opportunities. Our focus is on the Scottish biofuel landscape, and, the possibilities within a circular economy to convert organic wastes to renewable biofuels.

The recently enacted Waste (Scotland) Regulations require various waste streams, including food waste, to be source‑separated, and this has stimulated interest in recovering added‑value from these materials. Generation of biogas from food waste is but one example. If fully utilised biofuels can contribute to considerable CO2 savings compared with conventional fossil fuels. It has been reported that Scotland could meet around 10 per cent of its liquid fuel needs through the utilisation of purely local feedstock sources.

Giving locally produced biofuel an important role in the de-carbonisation of the Scottish transport fleet over the next 10 years.

Biofuel w ne is not aon. It inventi history ng has a loe motor in th tretching y, s industr the way all the back to s 1800

Written by Stella Allen, the Scottish Biofuel Programme

The UK biofuel landscape is varied and dependant on a number factors such as feedstock availability and land availability as well as government policy and subsidies.

Tough greenhouse gas emission targets have created focus upon replacement of existing combustion-engine based vehicles with greener alternatives.

The most promising routes to a green fleet include the use of electric vehicles charged from the grid and new engine types that can use hydrogen fuel. Whilst development of these technologies has accelerated in recent years, the costs are still high compared with conventional vehicles, making mass market deployment unlikely in the short to medium term.

Electric vehicles whilst more readily available than their hydrogen counterparts, need wholly renewable electricity generation to deliver their full impact, and at present the current grid mix in the UK is heavily reliant on coal and gas.

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

The ambitious biofuel landscape in Scotland

What does the biofuel landscape look like in Scotland?

Scotland has a globally-recognised industry producing ethanol by fermentation – the product is whisky rather than biofuel. Celtic Renewables is currently working on a scale up plant that will produce biofuels from by‑products of the whisky industry.

Argent Energy uses waste tallow and fats to make high quality biodiesel. Its plant is the only one in the UK to use distillation technology which ensures that their fuel is a clean, clear, homogeneous biodiesel.

There are a number of large scale anaerobic digestion plants across the central belt producing biogas mainly from agricultural and food waste which is primarily used for heat and electricity  Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

21

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

 generation, but which as an alternative could be upgraded for direct use as a biofuel.

In Scotland there is a surplus of poor quality agricultural land not fit for food production. This land has the potential to be a valuable resource and there are current trials to see if it can be put to work to grow energy crops such as camelina and reed canary grass without competing with human or animal food production.

Another resource in Scotland is seaweed.

Although it is not currently economical to harvest seaweed for biofuel production alone there are many high value products that can be extracted from seaweed and there could be opportunities to integrate biofuel production with the residue from the primary process.

Synthetic biology, the development of more efficient strains of microbes, the work horses of biofuel production, will open up a number new feedstock options and more efficient production which will greatly improve the economic production of biofuels.

In the future, a promising feedstock is the development of energy rich algal strains which would be suitable for growing in controlled artificial environments. These could take advantage of waste heat and CO2 providing a breakthrough in the economically viable production of biofuels.

EAE Case Study EAE are Scotland’s premier ‘what’s on’ leaflet display and distribution network, and are committed to a wide range of green technologies. Sustainability is deeply embraced

D DAB – never a dull moment

throughout the business’s functions. They have won awards for their environmental strategy.

EAE have installed a number of energy saving technologies including their own on-site wind turbine, a wildlife garden, rain water collection and an electric vehicle which is charged using renewable energy from the wind turbine overnight. EAE aims to be fully carbon neutral by 2015.

In line with its creative approach to sustainability and forward thinking EAE worked with Edinburgh Napier University researchers to investigate new emerging technologies to generate fuel from their waste including paper from recollected leaflets, with the future potential to further reduce their carbon footprint.

They have deployed a holistic approach to minimise the environmental impacts of their business. Their drivers undertake training in eco-driving to promote more economical use of fuels. They estimate this training reduces their emissions by up to 15 per cent pa (and results in lower van maintenance costs). Additionally, by using a network of regional depots they reduce the number of van journeys to and from their two national storage and distribution centres.

In 2011, they took delivery of seven B30 Citroen Relay vans that run on bio-diesel.

This high quality biofuel is made from locally collected waste fats and uses 30 per cent less diesel than normal fuels. The vans reduce their overall carbon emissions by 39 per cent. EAE are looking to replace their entire fleet with these vehicles. They have installed

M

a 5,000 litre capacity B30 bio-diesel fuel tank to fuel the new bio-diesel powered fleet.

Celtic renewables case study Celtic Renewables is a spin-out company working to scale up research undertaken by the Biofuel Research Centre based at Edinburgh Napier University. The award-winning company was formed to commercialise a patented process for producing a superior next generation biofuel (and other high value sustainable products) from the by-products of biological industries.

Celtic Renewables Ltd are innovatively re-developing a century-old fermentation technology, the ABE (Acetone Butanol Ethanol) process to combine the two main by-products of whisky production, namely “pot ale” (the copper-containing liquid from the stills) and “draff” (the spent barley grains), to produce high value renewable products, including biobutanol. The whisky industry annually produces 1,600 million litres of pot ale and 500,000 tonnes of draff, all of which could be converted into biofuel as a direct substitute for fossil-derived fuel. The production process also produces other sustainable chemicals, acetone and ethanol, as well as high grade animal feed.

Biobutanol has 25 per cent more energy per unit volume than bioethanol; it has a lower vapour pressure and higher flashpoint (making it easier to store and safer to handle); it can be blended without requiring modifications in blending facilities, storage tanks or retail station

J Just keeps going...

Up to 88.3mpg.†

Mine

T Turbocharged engines

Q Quids in for Whole Life Costs

Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). New Corsa range: Urban 36.2 (7.8) – 76.3

† = Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. * = 2014-15 tax year. General Motors UK Limited, charges; parking and speeding fines and the £250 insurance excess (if applicable). 3 Day Test Drive vehicles are subject to availability and terms and conditions apply. Please refer to www.vauxhall3DTD.co.uk for full terms and

22

VFL6915.016-Green_Fleet_DPS_HP_380x125mm_AW.indd 1

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

30/01/2015 15:34

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

“The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumach out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust – almost anything.There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There’s enough alcohol in one year’s yield of an acre of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the fields for a hundred years.”

Henry Ford (Ford Predicts Fuel from Vegetation, New York Times, Sept 20 1925) pumps. In sharp contrast to ethanol, it can be run in unmodified engines at any blend with petrol and may also be blended with diesel and biodiesel; it is less corrosive than bioethanol and can also be transported using existing infrastructures.

First developed in 1912 in the UK, the ABE process was used extensively during the First and Second World Wars to produce solvents, falling out of favour with the rise of cheaper synthetic equivalents during the 1950s. The re-introduction of the once dominant ABE fermentation process in a modern biotechnology context using sustainable substrates is an exciting

K

development with huge global potential.

Celtic Renewables will initially deploy the technology throughout Scotland to develop a new bio-butanol industry providing fuel and energy on a community basis which will lead to increased energy security and significant carbon emission reductions (over 70,000 tonnes per annum).

Thinking globally Scotsman Patrick Geddes is believed to be the first to outline the concept of acting locally while thinking globally. It’s likely that growing demand for renewable biofuels will be met by large-scale global

solutions, and that biofuel import will be a key part of local solutions.

However, work already underway in Scotland shows that there is space for local solutions too, producing biofuels from local resources so that best-value is recovered from valuable biological resources.  FURTHER READING www.biofuels.scotland.co.uk www.eae.co.uk www.celtic-renewables.com tinyurl.com/kofhjvo tinyurl.com/oluybr4

Love at first sight Love the tiny whole life costs Love the huge spec Love New Corsa

Kind on BiK – from just 13%*

Z Zero VED

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Call 0870 010 0651 | visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/fleet

Book your FREE** 3 Day Test Drive at www.vauxhall3DTD.co.uk or call 0870 240 4848

(3.7), Extra-urban 57.6 (4.9) – 94.2 (3.0), Combined 47.1 (6.0) – 88.3 (3.2). CO2 emissions 140 – 85g/km.

trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position. ** = Excludes fuel and lubricants; congestion conditions. Drivers must be 25 years or older and is available for Mainland UK only. All figures quoted correct at time of publication (February 2015). Images shown for illustrative purposes only and may feature options at extra cost.

VFL6915.016-Green_Fleet_DPS_HP_380x125mm_AW.indd 2

30/01/2015 15:34

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

23

Jeep with ®

It’s not busIness as usual.

So you think you know Jeep? Think again. The all-new Cherokee doesn’t just offer outstanding performance off-road, it’s also guaranteed to stand out in the office car park. Its efficiency figures catch the eye too, returning 53.3mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 from only 139g/km.* New Cherokee models are also available with a range of fantastic features such as our award-winning 8.4” touch screen entertainment system, unique in-car wireless charging pad for mobile devices and adaptive cruise control. Hardly your average nine-to-five runaround, wouldn’t you say?

To book a test drive call our Business Centre on 01753 519442 or email us at fleet@jeep-comms.co.uk The all-new Jeep® Cherokee from only £279 per month† The all-new Jeep® Cherokee. Built Free.

jeep.co.uk/fleet Model shown is Cherokee 2.0 140 4x2 Longitude at £25,495 OTR excluding optional True Blue special paint at £625 OTR. FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR THE NEW JEEP® CHEROKEE DIESEL RANGE IN MPG (L/100KM): EXTRA URBAN 55.4 (5.1) – 61.4 (4.6), URBAN 39.8 (7.1) – 44.1 (6.4), COMBINED 48.7 (5.8) – 53.3 (5.3), CO2 EMISSIONS: 154 – 139 G/KM.

Fuel consumption and CO2 figures based on standard EU tests for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. *Figures based on 2.0 140 4x2 versions. †Business users only. Rentals based on Cherokee 2.0 140 FWD Longitude Plus on Contract Hire profile of 6 rentals in advance (equivalent of £1674) followed by 35 rentals of £279, excluding VAT and maintenance. Based on 10,000 miles p.a., excess mileage charges apply. Vehicles must be registered with Jeep Financial Services before 31st March 2015. Offer subject to status, guarantee and/or indemnity may be required. At participating dealers only. Jeep Financial Services, PO Box 4465, Slough, SL1 0RW. Chrysler and CNH Industrial are Official Global Partners of the Expo Milano 2015. Jeep® is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.

Excellent on- and off-road handling, class leading space, high levels of equipment and Jeep brand’s lowest ever CO2 emissions, set the All-New Jeep Renegade apart from its company car and fleet rivals

One of the most hotly-anticipated cars for 2015, the All-New Jeep Renegade, is already causing a stir among Britain’s drivers as it prepares for launch here in February.

And the stunning new compact sportutility vehicle (SUV), with its fresh, modern design, outstanding on- and off-road driving dynamics and powerful, fuel-efficient engines, looks set to appeal to thousands of private buyers as well as many of fleet managers and business users.

And it’s easy to see why. While staying true to the adventurous lifestyle and 4x4 capability for which Jeep brand is renowned, the new Renegade will also deliver benchmark efficiency and driving dynamics, a segment-first nine-speed automatic gearbox, world-class refinement, and a host of innovative safety and technology offerings.

Distinctive design From any angle the new Renegade reveals the distinctive design cues of the brand’s heritage: round headlamps, signature seven-slot grille and trapezoidal wheel arches. And two roof systems provide real open-air freedom from either a large electric sliding glass roof or the unique-to-segment ‘My Sky®’ – its two panels can be removed and stowed in the boot.

With 11 exterior colours and a choice of six different wheel designs available, there is a Jeep Renegade to suit all tastes. Available in four different trim levels – Sport, Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk – the new Jeep Renegade comes equipped with fuel efficient petrol and turbo-diesel engines and offers the important business choice of full four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive configurations.

With its strong style and personality, and offering the right size for both city and

countryside, the new Jeep Renegade has best-in-class interior roominess, excellent onroad driving dynamics and supreme off-road capabilities. In 4WD guise, the segment first rear-axle disconnect improves fuel efficiency further by using 4x4 only when necessary.

Based on Jeep’s brand values of passion, adventure and freedom, the new Jeep Renegade offers fleet managers a whole new choice. Outstanding on the road, Renegade is different, exciting and extraordinary – a car that sets itself apart from its competitors, while offering real savings in terms of company car taxation and fuel economy.

Well-appointed A host of standard equipment makes Renegade one of the best appointed cars in its segment. The Sport version gets air conditioning, steering wheel audio controls, DAB Radio, hands-free Bluetooth,60/40 fold down rear seat and 16-inch alloy wheels as standard, while the Longitude version adds cruise control with speed limiter, fog lamps, leather steering wheel, satellite navigation and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Moving up the range, the Limited model adds Lane Departure Warning Plus and Forward Collision Mitigation Plus, rear parking sensors – all important items for busy company car users – as well as dual zone climate control, leather interiors, heated seats and 18-inch alloy wheels. And the most off-road capable Trailhawk version features off-road suspension, skid plates, hill descent control and all-weather mats.

An impressive engine line-up, to satisfy large fleet and single business users’ needs, includes petrol and diesel units in a range of power outputs. Starting with the 110hp

ADVERTORIAL

The All-New Jeep® Renegade

1.6 E-Torq, the petrol range also includes MultiAir II engines (140hp and 170hp).

Diesel engines range includes the 120hp 1.6 MultiJet and a powerful 2.0 MultiJet with 140hp and 170hp power outputs.

More than 60 safety and security features are built into the new Jeep Renegade.

Already awarded a Euro NCAP five star rating, the new Renegade has as standard, six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM).

Additional safety features include the Forward Collision Mitigation Plus and Lane Departure Warning Plus systems, Blind-spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path Detection and ParkView rear reversing camera.

Technology High levels of technology feature throughout, with a range of communication, entertainment and navigation features and the segment’s largest full-colour instrument cluster. UConnect with up to a 6.5-inch touchscreen takes care of the voice operation of DAB enabled radio, mobile phone and the navigation system, and there’s also hands-free calling, text messaging and audio streaming.

The new JEEP Renegade will be the small car making a big noise in the business and fleet markets this year. Starting at just £16,995 and with up to 61.4mpg and CO2 below 120g/km, it’s the complete company car package from the complete car manufacturer.  FURTHER INFORMATION To find out more about contact Jeep’s business centre on 01753 519442, email jeep@jeep-comms.co.uk or visit www.jeep.co.uk/renegade

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

25

LICENCE CHECKING Written by Association for Driving Licence Verification

A move to electronic checking With the June 2015 abolition of the paper counterpart to the driving licence imminent, fleet managers should be aware that an electronic way to check employee’s driving entitlement is already available, writes the Association for Driving Licence Verification There was much press coverage, toward the middle of last year, when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) announced its plans to discontinue the paper counterpart to the current UK driving licence. Then other reports emerged that the DVLA had decided to delay this move until 8 June. This delay has an environmental impact, as the green consequences of the decision to delay the abolition of the counterpart are of course significant, given the quantities of paper used.

However, a recently launched trade body called the ADLV (the Association for Driving Licence Verification), offers electronic checking already. The formation of this new body to promote electronic checking would seem to confirm that the paper license is already irrelevant.

The ADLV was set up, to enable batch and ultimately online access to driver data. This professional electronic service has allowed many fleet managers to confirm driver data electronically.

Even if the paper counterpart does hang around for a while, it will now simply be seen by many as an anachronistic hangover from a bygone day.

Member companies The ADLV has an excellent provenance too as members of this new association were already established providers of driver licence checking through the DVLA’s Electronic Driver Entitlement Checking Service [EDECS].

The service offered by the ADLV member companies through the formalisation of this grouping will provide employers with a new and comprehensive alternative for validating the driver entitlement data for their employees.

The list of initial ADLV member organisations includes: The AA, Admin Business Solutions, Chalcheck Ltd, Descartes Systems UK Ltd, DriveTech (UK) Ltd, Drivercheck Ltd, DrivingMonitor, Fleet Claims Administration Ltd, Fleet Partnership Solutions Ltd, GB Group plc, Inchcape Fleet Solutions, Intelligent Data Systems (UK) Ltd, Interactive Driving Systems Ltd, Licence Bureau Ltd, Licence Check Ltd, and Pinewood Technologies.

With the ADLV members’ existing relationship with the DVLA through EDECS, there is little doubting the quality of the standards these members all use in managing data for fleet customers. In addition the ADLV will audit its members to ensure they meet the DVLA’s own data assurance standards.

Working on an online batch e-processing basis, subject to consent from the licence

26

holder, ADLV members supply customers with full licence details, have the ability to schedule data re-checks to monitor licence holders dependent on updated driver risk profiles. Users of the service also have access to comprehensive management information and reporting across a whole fleet.

Real time checking Looking forwards, the ADLV is also now working closely with the DVLA on a new digital service for fleet customers to check driving licence data in real-time. Again subject to licence holder consent, this new secure digital web services alternative will enable ADLV members, and other organisations meeting DVLA requirements who sign up to the service, to perform 24/7 real-time licence checks for the first time.

Ultimately, many expect that the new service could replace the DVLA’s current EDECS system, which is still used by members of the ADLV to provide secure driver licence information to many UK fleet operators of all sizes across UK industry. The new web service is nearing completion and is scheduled for launch early in 2015. Once available, this will mark a full and comprehensive move by the fleet sector to electronic checking.

Data quality and security If this move away from paper is to be truly successful in the long run, then the quality of driver data must continue to be exemplary. So since its launch, the ADLV has also been busy on driving data quality even further than the existing status quo. Most recently there has been an announcement that the association is to launch a new package of measures aimed at reinforcing the quality and security of driving licence data specifically for corporate fleet users.

It is intended that the measures will form the first steps towards a new industry standard aimed at ensuring compliant and risk free access to licence data, once the paper counterpart finally does disappear. These new measures are also seen as a response to corporate fleet concerns over non‑commercial licence checking services which some worry are open to potential misuse and

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

Even r ape if the p rt does rpa counte round for hang a le, it will a whi e seen now b hronistic nac as an a ver from a hango ne day bygo

abuse by staff which leaves their employers at risk under current data protection legislation.

As Richard Payne-Gill, a director of the ADLV says: “Data security and avoidance of data fraud are issues requiring sound governance. All corporate HR directors, risk specialists and fleet managers must adhere to only the highest standards of information security when it comes to their employee’s data. Any serious breach leaves them exposed to the law and potentially affects their reputation as an employer. DVLA is soon to introduce the Share

My Driving Licence facility (SMDL), which will allow motorists to share up-to-date information electronically about their own individual driving entitlement. The ADLV has shared its concerns with the DVLA about allowing the driver to produce a PDF version of their record, which could easily be manipulated and still allows for the document to be printed out on paper.

However the DVLA itself does not see a printed PDF as having a legal status in its own right.

“Without training, companies may inadvertently accept the printed document as proof of entitlement to drive, not understanding they still need to check further online. That’s why for compliance

purposes, organisations must check online to be safe. So to ensure safety, corporate users should now use the ADLV’s online services, which are equipped to deal with employers that need batch checking for reasons of organisational efficiency rather than a single transactional service.

“The new package of measures also includes a membership roadmap to ISO 27001 compliance and the addition of e-consent for ID Assurance; ensuring an individual’s identity is properly verified before sensitive personal information is accessed.”

“As corporate users cannot accept any risk, especially when it comes to employee

LICENCE CHECKING

data, they have welcomed the professional, independent licence verification services provided initially by members of the ADLV. Where corporate fleet managers use an ADLV member, it reduces such security risks and reduces the environmental impact by removing the need for a driver to give written consent for a licence check. In addition, by using the services of an ADLV member, the possibility of someone playing fast and loose with driver licence data is history.”

Welcomed by the industry In conclusion, the emergence of these new electronic systems is being welcomed by fleet managers, who became aware and concerned that the date for the abolition of the paper licence was delayed until 8 June. To the ADLV, the delay is irrelevant as the time for many fleets to change their processes is now. Consequently, the ADLV has issued a call to action recommending that fleet managers evaluate available commercial online alternatives now to reap immediate and significant efficiency savings as well as data security enhancements.

As the ADLV chair Malcolm Maycock comments: “The benefits of electronic checking are already available and proven so why wait until someone decides a date for the inevitable abolition of the paper counterpart? Organisations who are seeking to professionally manage and protect their employees’ driver data or who are seeking to follow the most environmentally sound route should make the move to electronic checking now.”

To ensure that all parties are aware of the new best practice, the ADLV focus in 2015 will be to contact fleet managers to recommend that they make the move to electronic verification now instead of waiting for confirmation of when the paper counterpart is to be abolished.

So the benefits of this move to an electronic replacement are just as clear for best practice and data security reasons as it is for environmental reasons.

Malcolm Maycock continues: “There is an enormous willingness by all the main groups involved, including those with green criteria, to support the work of the ADLV in delivering a best practice approach to driving licence verification for fleets which includes e-consent, removing the requirement for a driver to give written (paper) consent.

The green lobby is one of the main sources of staunch support as for them, it makes no sense that we are still even attempting to use paper in the early twenty-first century.

The ADLV addresses this environmental faux pas fully and has effectively brought best practice right up to date.”

With the launch of the ADLV therefore, it does seem that there has been a fundamental change in the way fleets can now verify driver data and licences and that this is driven by a combination of best practice, data security and green criteria.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.adlv.co.uk

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

27

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Top of the EV list One third of councils across the UK have at least one electric vehicle on its fleet, according to a new study. But which councils have the most? Scotland takes the lead with Dundee City Council in the top spot, and three other Scottish councils in the top five Scottish councils have come out on top as having the most electric vehicles on their fleet, according to a study looking into which councils in the UK own electric vehicles.

Freedom of information requests were sent by Intelligent Car Leasing to 433 councils across the UK to find out if they own any electric vehicles, and 95 per cent responded. The study found that around one third (34 per cent) have at least one electric vehicle. And out of the top five local authorities with the highest number of electric vehicles, four of them are in Scotland.

Dundee City Council had the highest number of purely electric vehicles, with 38 in local operation during the last quarter of 2014.

South Lanarkshire came second with 24 electric vehicles, closely followed

by City of Glasgow, with 22.

Fife Council was in the fifth spot with 17, beaten by the London Borough of Islington in fourth position with 19.

Scottish ambitions Perhaps the reason for Scotland’s success is the government’s pledge in 2013 for the country’s towns and cities to be free of emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles by 2050. This ambitious vision was revealed in

its roadmap to plug-in vehicles, Switched On Scotland. It says that electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will make a substantial contribution to this ambition.

The roadmap includes pledges to install charge points at all main government buildings and to replace Scottish government vehicles with plug-in vehicles, where appropriate, as part of the ongoing vehicle replacement cycle. What’s more, it says it will support public sector fleet operators to access evidence-based analysis to create new opportunities for the deployment of plug-in vehicles.

Top of the list: Dundee Dundee City Council has 38 plug-in vehicles on the road, with a mixture of cars and vans which are used across many departments, from corporate laundry, joiners, painters, supervisors and pool cars. This is supported by an increasing recharging infrastructure which currently includes two rapid chargers. A further two rapid chargers were announced in October 2014 thanks to a £22k Transport Scotland grant.

At the time of the announcement, environment convener Councillor Craig Melville said: “This is another important step in our commitment to

Scottishave sh council t on top u come og the most as havin vehicles on electric et, according their fle council EV to a study

28

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

environmentally friendly transport. These additional charging points will help us to keep up the momentum for electric cars in Dundee by making them even more accessible.”

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Council’s electric vehicle fleet includes plug-in cars, an electric van, and two electric street sweepers.

The sweepers are deployed within the Council’s town centres and precincts, replacing the previous diesel powered sweepers and are used on a daily basis.

Although initially sceptical over ability and battery performance, feedback from the employees using the electric sweepers has been very positive and all comment on the reduced noise and emissions allowing the units to operate at times the previous diesel powered units could not. Members of the public have often commented on the use of the electric sweepers and the improvement this has made to the local environment.

Although heavier diesel powered sweepers are still required, these are concentrated on the more demanding areas.

Also within the area, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service bought an electric vehicle for its community fire station and national training head quarters in Cambuslang, while NHS Lanarkshire has taken on two electric

vans to provide services to local hospitals.

The two remaining Scottish Councils in the top five list is City of Glasgow Council at the third spot, and Fife Council at number five. Both councils have a fleet of electric vehicles and charge points, with a growing charging infrastructure.

Islington’s green fleet The first English council on the list, at the number four slot, is the London Borough of Islington, who scooped last year’s Public Sector fleet of the Year Award in the medium to large category at the GreenFleet Awards.

The council’s electric fleet is powered by renewable wind energy. It’s highways maintenance department runs an electric van which is the first vehicle on call for emergency repairs in the night due to its virtually silent operation.

What’s more, council staff are able to use bicycles and electric scooters for getting around the borough.

The fact that over one third of councils in the UK having at least one electric vehicle is a very promising outlook, according to Intelligent Car Lease. At the end of the report, the company said: “Electric vehicles are still expensive to obtain, even when taking into account government grants and incentives.

Therefore many of the local authorities across the UK are presenting themselves as real early adopters; taking up this promising technology at an early stage in its life-cycle.”

It expects even greater uptake as more renewable energy comes onto the grid: “In the UK there is a huge drive to increase renewable energy production (in Scotland there’s a target to make electricity production 100 per cent renewable by 2020). This is making electricity a cleaner form of energy all

the time; meaning in a few years from now the benefits of driving an electric powered vehicle will be huge for the environment.” L FURTHER INFORMATION To see the report, visit tinyurl.com/ord2v6f

Highest-scoring electric vehicle councils Top ten councils with the highest number of electric vehicles:

Ninth-placed North Lanarkshire Council took delivery of 12 pure-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs in 2011 to extend its pool car fleet

1 Dundee City Council 2 South Lanarkshire Council 3 City of Glasgow Council 4 London Borough of Islington 5 Fife Council 6 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council 7 Newcastle upon Tyne City Council 8 Oxford City Council 9 North Lanarkshire Council 10 Lewes District Council

38 24 22 19 17 16 16 14 14 12

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

GreenFleet Scotland

After six very successful years, GreenFleet Scotland returns to the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh on 10 April to allow fleet managers to test drive the latest low and zero‑emission vehicles.

There will be over 70 low-carbon, hybrid and electric vehicles available on the day. What’s more, visitors will be able to attend seminars, with presentations on the latest government legislation, grants and offers, innovative technology and alternative fuels, such as hydrogen.

Delegates can also take part in the Fuel Efficient Driving Experience (FEDEx), where we look to establish Scotland’s most frugal drivers of a combustion engine vehicle. And for the first time this year, there will be an EV Challenge to decide the most frugal electric vehicle driver, with an EV technician measuring the real‑time energy used over a 40‑mile trial.

GreenFleet Scotland is made possible through a partnership with Transport Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust, and Scottish Enterprise.

Register at events.greenfleet.net/ scotland

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

29

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As consumer spending on goods – particularly online – increases, so does the requirement for them to be delivered. But in the logistics sector, there is a real worry that there simply are not enough qualified professional drivers. Julie Maddocks from the Freight Transport Association investigates the problem

Driver shortage Lorry drivers are growing in demand as the economy picks up and increasing numbers of people take advantage of home deliveries.

However, an ageing workforce and the unwillingness of some drivers to undergo expensive training for a new licence – Driver CPC (DCPC) – which came into effect on 10 September 2014, there is a shortfall of tens of thousands of trained drivers.

In the past fleet managers have turned to their employment agencies to supply temporary drivers to meet the peak demand periods, but recent surveys of agency driver availability suggest that this year will be different – as there simply won’t be enough drivers to deliver the goods.

The problem became more significant last year following the introduction of DCPC and the knock-on effects following the September deadline, as all HGV drivers in scope of the regulation are required to have completed 35 hours approved training, and be in possession of a Driver Qualification Card (DQC) issued

by DVLA. Whilst most transport operators paid for the DCPC training on behalf of their permanent employees, the concern is over the ‘freelance’ agency drivers with the expectation being that these haven’t paid out for their own training.

Scheme reported high levels of readiness exceeding 90 per cent, but also told of their concern regarding the more elderly, and experienced drivers who were not Driver CPC compliant, and therefore were looking to leave the industry or move on to other driving work which didn’t require the training.

The subject was highlighted and discussed by members attending the FTA Transport Manager Conference series 2014. At each of the twelve events held by the Association, over 85 per cent of delegates reported that the shortage of drivers in the UK is a massive problem, and that they are worried how the freight industry will cope moving forward.

FTA has added that it is not only the issue of Driver CPC which has caused the driver shortage problem, but with the added cost of licence acquisition at approximately £3,000, people are unable to pay for this independently.

Worries over missed deliveries due to the shortage of qualified drivers could trigger a series of responses as fleet managers take steps to avoid that problem – and one likely outcome could be the increase of wages to entice those drivers who are qualified into contracts that can afford to pay them. 

Lorry drivers ng wi are gro nd as a in dem numbers ng increasi ople take of pe tage of advan e hom es deliveri

Concerns Prior to the introduction of Driver CPC agencies in FTA’s Driver Agency Accreditation

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

Written by Julie Maddocks from the Freight Transport Association

Delivering Christmas 2014 was a trying time for many freight and logistics operators across the UK; despite the economy at last seeing an up-turn with reported significant growth, which businesses had been waiting a long time for, there was a genuine concern over who is going to deliver the goods.

As the e-commerce explosion continues and consumer spending rises, more people are clearly buying goods – particularly online which in turn means the requirement for them to be delivered increasing too, and as a result there is a real worry for the logistics sector as there simply aren’t enough qualified professional drivers to do the job.

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This exciting and newly developed product offers up to six cameras, including a reversing camera, live tracker, vehicle diagnostics, Speed and GPS to name just a few.

VEHCAM Ltd, have many years’ experience in installing and developing in-vehicle camera systems to suit any company’s needs.

“Customers benefit from our knowledge and experience throughout the entire process – from initial enquiry through to being assigned an Account Manager to assist with the management of your system.

Our team of Risk Consultants hold Class C+E driving licences and are experienced in monitoring and analysing the data that your VEHCAM will generate.

The system ensures we are able to detect areas for improvement, helps to identify areas in the driver’s skills that could be improved and shows where the driver could have made “a better choice”. This data goes a long way in helping to reduce vehicle accidents, as well as ensuring that vehicle goods are handled in accordance with SWP’s to reduce injuries and stock damage”.

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The Driver CPC is for LGV and PCV drivers who drive professionally throughout the UK. It has been developed as a requirement of the EU Directive 2003/59, which is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of professional LGV and PCV drivers throughout their working life. There are two parts to the legislation:

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Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)

The Initial Qualification must be achieved by new LGV and PCV drivers along with their vocational licence to enable them to use their licence professionally.

Periodic training, consisting of 35 hours of training every 5 years, must be attended by all professional drivers.

An ageing workforce and the unwillingness of some drivers to undergo expensive training for a new licence – Driver CPC (DCPC) – which came into effect on 10 September 2014, there is a shortfall of tens of thousands of trained drivers  Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) regulations came into force for new HGV drivers in 2009 when vocational drivers were required to complete 35 hours of periodic training every five years.

Existing vocational drivers at that time were granted until today to undergo the same training. Driving without the qualification carries a maximum fine of £1,000 – for both the driver and operator licence holders.

Sally Gilson, FTA’s skills policy development manager said: “When the cost is looked at carefully it is perhaps little wonder that would-be drivers are not coming forward; add to this the insurance problems for younger drivers and industry is finding it hard to bring young blood in. FTA is asking why can’t vocational training have the same loan system as university students? If we are going to help the skills shortage, government must not belittle vocational training.”

Tackling the problem In order to tackle the driver shortage problem – FTA has announced it is to hold an Industry Summit – ‘Solving the driver Crisis’ at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 12 March 2015. The free‑to‑attend event will bring together government officials, professional HR advisors and experienced

operators to work towards solutions.

It will focus on how big the problem is to the industry; how to improve the perceptions of professional driving and will investigate sources of Government funding and how to apply for it.

Ms Gilson added: “The driver shortage problem wasn’t just for Christmas. It will be with us for far longer than that. We are facing a long-term challenge to attract and recruit sufficient people to professional driving. We need to up our game in recruitment practices and start addressing some deep seated problems in the industry.

We also need to ensure Government and other agencies are on our side and that we make best use of the support and funding that is already available.”

In addition, FTA has been a leading provider of quality training to its members and will continue to identify the most practical, efficient and cost effective way to manage Driver CPC programmes in the future, providing training solutions to suit individual business requirements and driver training needs.  FURTHER INFORMATION

FTA partners with City & Guilds for skills training The Freight Transport Association has announced that it has entered into a partnership arrangement with City & Guilds in order to ‘fill the void’ of skills development in the logistics sector.

FTA has said that it believes that the logistics industry has been ‘overlooked by government’ for funding to support vocational training because of the absence of a nationally recognised qualification framework.

FTA’s partnership with City & Guilds will provide nationally recognised qualifications across a range of professions with the aim of providing a more complete range of skills development opportunities in the logistics sector.

James Hookham, FTA’s managing director of Policy and Communications said: “The logistics sector has been overlooked by government for too long for skills funding, partly because it lacks a national vocational training structure or recognised qualification structure.

FTA’s partnership with City & Guilds will aim to deliver that and help fill the void in skills development opportunities in the logistics sector.”

The first of the FTA/City & Guilds qualifications will be for Commercial Vehicle Fleet Management and a level 3 qualification, equivalent to current Transport Manager CPC, will be launched during 2015.

www.fta.co.uk/services/training

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

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NEW VIVARO BEST IN CLASS

NEW VIVARO BUILT TO TAKE IT ALL Welcome to a whole new van for a whole new world of work. The latest award-winning BiTurbo engines deliver more power, torque and economy. FlexCargo gives you class-leading load length.

And a new design means it’ll take any job in its stride. No wonder What Van? has awarded the New Vivaro Medium Van of the Year for 2015.

Call 0845 740 0777 or visit vauxhall.co.uk/newvivaro Model shown includes FlexCargo, not available on all models.

April 14 - 16th NEC BIRMINGHAM

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The UK’s Biggest Commercial Vehicle Show The number one road transport and logistics event in Britain, catering for every operator’s business needs, the CV Show is the leading meeting place for suppliers and operators alike – a true one stop shop for the industry.

Located at the NEC, at the heart of the motorway network, the Show is open from 08:30 to 17:30 April 14 – 16.

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Get your FREE ticket Register today www.cvshow.com Exhibitor enquiries call +44 (0) 20 7630 2102

The pull of trailers & tankers This year there will be more tankers and trailers on display than have been seen since the pre-recession Show of 2008.

Key players in this particular sector will include Cartwright Group, Doll Fahrzeugbau, Don-Bur, Lawrence David, Montracon, SDC, Tiger Trailers and Van Hool.

Show organisers are particularly pleased to see Don-Bur return to the CV Show after a seven year absence, with the company describing its trailer as a real ‘showstopper’.

Familiar CV Show faces John and Steven Cartwright will be there with their new company, Tiger Trailers.

“The decision by John and me to leave our positions in the Cartwright family business was driven by our desire to lead the company 100 per cent and to make significant changes for its future success,” said joint managing director, Steven Cartwright.

According to sales director Darren Holland, a new manufacturer of this scale has not been generated in decades. “This has got to be good news for all prospective purchasers. Our first confirmed orders will be delivered during September and we invite all customers to visit us either at the factory or at the CV Show.”

Tanker manufacturers will also be turning out in force and include Felbinder UK, Fuller Tankers, G Magyar, Maisonneuve, RTN Group, Van Hool and Whale.

The shop window for CV buyers From truck, van, trailer and fork lift manufacturers through to the ancillary service providers, the Commercial Vehicle Show this April offers something for everyone in the transport, distribution and logistics industry The Commercial Vehicle Show is the UK’s largest and most comprehensive road transport, distribution and logistics event, providing visitors with the opportunity to fulfil all their sourcing needs under one roof. From truck, van, trailer and fork lift manufacturers through to the ancillary service providers that include insurers, tyre, telematics and training providers, fuels and lubricants suppliers, there really will be something for all the industry.

This year’s Commercial Vehicle takes place on the 14-16 April at Birmingham’s NEC.

Exhibitors will show their latest products and services and include vehicle manufacturers Citroën, DAF, Fiat, Ford, Hino, Isuzu, Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Vauxhall – as well as the largest number of trailer and tanker manufacturers under one roof for nearly a decade.

What’s more, to ensure vehicles are kept running at maximum efficiency, Workshop in Hall 4 will be exhibiting a massive range of products covering everything from OE components and replacement parts to maintenance management systems, garage,

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workshop and bodyshop equipment. Similarly, a huge range of refrigerated vehicles and bodywork, side by side with the latest fridge units, monitoring equipment and other products specific to cold chain operations will be found in the Cool sector in Hall 3a.

The 2015 CV Show has been accredited with international status from the automotive industry’s global body, OICA, the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles.

New van launches The all-new Vauxhall Corsavan will make its UK debut at the event. It comes equipped with an array of Euro-6 compliant petrol and diesel engines, offering economy up to 83.1mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 90g/km.

The revised model continues in the tradition of its predecessor, bringing class-leading payload and a flat loading capacity of 920 litres. Despite the space, the Corsavan remains compact enough to fit into tight parking spaces and narrow city streets.

Driver ergonomics have been improved, with new seats featuring increased support, durability and extended travel, as well as reduced noise, harshness and vibration.

Vauxhall has also added its advanced new IntelliLink infotainment smartphone connectivity to the dashboard, making the Corsavan more practical for businesses on the move.

The new Mercedes-Benz Vito will also be present at the Commercial Vehicle Show. Making its public debut at the 2014 Hannover Commercial Vehicle Show in September it is expected to go on sale in the UK in March 2015. Exterior styling has been completely re-designed to  Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

37

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 bring Vito in line with the manufacturer’s two other LCVs; Citan and Sprinter.

The new Vito comes in a choice of front- or rear-wheel drive; a first for the 2.8 – 3.2 tonne panel van market sector.

On average Mercedes reckons there’s an improvement in fuel consumption of 20 per cent compared to the current Vito line-up.

FIAT Professional will launch its new FIAT Doblò Cargo to a UK audience at the Commercial Vehicle Show.

Originally unveiled at the 2014 Hanover International Motor Show last year, the new fourth‑generation FIAT Doblò features a fresh exterior design, improved engine performance and a new EcoJet version engineered to lower fuel consumption and reduced running costs even further.

The Doblò will also be the first vehicle to bear the FIAT Professional logo on its tailgate, a signature which will appear on all FIAT Professional commercial vehicles in the future.

Ancillary services PCL will attend the Commercial Vehicle Show following its successful debut at the show last year. The company will showcase its comprehensive range of tyre inflators and workshop equipment, designed specifically for use in a commercial vehicle workshop.

Following a successful year since its launch the innovative NEXUS is becoming an established name, gaining a reputation for providing cost-effective nitrogen delivery and its world-renowned digital inflation technology which provides a guaranteed inflation accuracy of ± 0.5%. This enables customers to benefit from superfast nitrogen inflation from their existing air supply without needing to buy, store and handle expensive nitrogen bottles.

The chief advantages of nitrogen’s properties compared to air in a tyre are that it can offer extended tyre casing and rim life along with improved fuel efficiency.

More importantly, due to its inert properties, it provides increased safety in high temperature environments.

What’s more, ATS Euromaster is going to celebrate its 50th anniversary in style at the 2015 Commercial Vehicle Show with its biggest ever stand; 25 per cent bigger than last year. The tyre and vehicle maintenance specialist has attended the CV Show for more than 10 consecutive years and is keen to celebrate five decades’ of success as well as promoting the full range of expertise it offers to van and truck customers.

The Commercial Vehicle Show is owned

by The CV Show LLP comprising the Road Haulage Association, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and IRTE Services, the trading company of the Society of Operations Engineers. 

rs Exhibitotheir w will sho roducts latest p ices and v and sere vehicle includ cturers manufaDAF, Fiat, , Citroënd Ford an

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cvshow.com

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

39

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app.greenfleet.net

Martin Gurney, fleet director at Peugeot, explains some of the challenges and opportunities facing the automotive industry in terms of CO2 emissions

In the race to be competitive, all car manufacturers are challenged at many levels.

Linked to the global commitment towards the preservation of the planet, overall CO2 output is one of the most important comparable priorities.

Peugeot has long held a priority for producing low CO2 vehicles. Admittedly this is helped by the popularity of the company’s small car offering however, since Peugeot now offers a wide range of cars and LCV’s, the fact that we have long been amongst the lead producers of low CO2 vehicles is all the more impressive.

The latest ranking, which measures 28 European countries, puts the PSA Group (whose product Brands include DS and Citroën as well as Peugeot) in first place, with an average CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Emissions) rating of 110.5g/km.

Eight model range Peugeot specifically has an even lower CAFE rating at 109.1g/km, which given that we offer an eight-model range (108, 208, 308, 508, 2008, 3008, 5008 & RCZ), is nothing short of remarkable.

Clearly the powertrain is at the heart of what can be achieved and Peugeot is blessed with outstanding engines and gearboxes.

50-years ago in June 1965 Peugeot set 40 endurance records demonstrating how its diesel-powered 404 was capable of being both durable and economical. Today we are known the world over for our capable and compact diesel-powered engines. Our latest ‘BlueHDi’ engines, found in the 2014 European Carof-the-Year-winning Peugeot 308 had a CO2

output starting and just 82g/km – lower than some hybrid cars – which will be sub 80g/km before the end of this year. However Peugeot recognises that in these ever-challenging times, having the best of one fuel type isn’t enough. Which serves to show that the arrival of our new PureTech 3-cylinder petrol engines is well-timed. Utilising a compact design and by minimising friction losses with three, not the conventional four, cylinders, in conjunction with an advanced stage of tune made possible by using the latest combustion technology and direct fuel injection, the 1.0 and 1.2-litre versions offer impressive power choices between 68hp and 130hp.

Inspired design The Peugeot 308’s efficiency and inspired design delivers low CO2 and pro-rata great economy. The PureTech petrol engine in the top-of-the-range turbocharged 1.2-litre THP 130 has CO2 at 107g/km and recently demonstrated great things: a new record for fuel economy in an officially-witnessed test that achieved 99.1mpg and 1124.7 miles on its 51.4-litre tank of fuel, conducted over 32-hours of continuous driving. It’s proof that a light foot can bring results.

Peugeot has, over 126-years since its first car, developed many alternative-fuel and hybrid solutions. With the VLV electric car of 1942, the 106 and iON and more recently with the Partner Electric we have gained considerable experience with this energy propellant, and this has evolved into hybrids.

HYbrid4 was a world-first in 2012, combining the accomplished diesel engine with electric motors. By also driving the rear wheels, the

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Hybrids are now much more commonplace and each manufacturer has its own applications for design layout and product features, though HYbrid4 in 3008 Crossover, 508 Saloon and 508 RXH does it with the most versatility. But all these virtues, come at a cost and weight penalty, not ideal for the small and compact, urban car. No one has yet developed an unlimited-range alternative but one from Peugeot could be just around the corner…

The 208 HYbrid Air Demonstrator is a dynamic assessment vehicle housing a potentially revolutionary hybrid solution.

Optimised for the prospect of being driven primarily in city/urban driving, it cleverly utilises a compressed air tank to capture energy otherwise wasted in deceleration to re-propel it from a start or to supplement acceleration. Using two litres of fuel per 100km, equivalent to 141mpg, it is derived from a production version of the Peugeot 208 1.2-litre PureTech 82hp 5-seater Hatchback.

The standard gearbox has been replaced by a hybrid drive system featuring a mix of petrol and compressed air, driven by hydraulics. HYbrid Air technology combines two types of energy to achieve greater efficiency depending on the driving conditions. The compressed Nitrogen gas is used to assist and even replace the petrol engine to enable maximum efficiency during transition phases, such as acceleration and starts. In Air (ZEV) mode, the car runs on compressed gas alone.

This method of driving does not consume fuel and gives off no CO2 emissions, making it ideal for urban environments.

In Petrol mode, the car is powered only by the 1.2-litre petrol engine. This is more suitable for travelling at a steady speed on main roads and motorways. The Combined mode is designed for transition phases in urban environments where it draws on the two energy sources in proportions adjusted to achieve optimal fuel consumption.

The compressed-air tank is recharged when slowing down (while braking or taking the foot off the pedal) or by part use of the energy developed by the three-cylinder petrol engine to compress the air. Both methods can achieve maximum pressure in just 10 seconds.

It’s good to know that when it comes to innovative, economical and environmental behaviour, Peugeot indeed has a solution, and no doubt, a mind to succeed.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.business.peugeot.co.uk

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

41

Business Mobility is Going Electric.

Electric vehicles are set to play an important role in the future of business mobility.

But are they right for you?

With AlphaElectric, we’ve applied some very clever thinking to help you answer that very question to incorporate EVs seamlessly into your fleet.

We can help you to discover if and how EVs can fit into your fleet, which vehicles to select and how to implement a workable charging infrastructure. And should your drivers require access to a combustion vehicle on occasion, we offer a choice of packages.

Talk to us today, plug into our expertise, and take your electric fleet a great deal further.

AlphaElectric. It’s all part of our vision for the future of mobility.

Find out more:

Tel: 0370 50 50 100 Email: alphabet@alphabet.co.uk www.alphabet.co.uk

EVENT PREVIEW

The EV forum for the North West

Taking the form of a seminar, closed-room sessions and test drives, GreenFleet North West will allow fleet managers from the Merseyside area to assess whether electric and plug-in vehicles are right for their business After the resounding success of the inaugural GreenFleet North West event last year at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Aintree racecourse will now play host to GreenFleet North West 2015 on the 26th February. It will allow fleet managers to hear the latest updates in the electric vehicle infrastructure market in the North West, from key industry players including Jonathan Mitchell, head of policy at Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and Councillor Ron Abbey for Merseytravel.

After the seminar session, which will be chaired by motoring journalist and TV presenter Quentin Wilson, delegates will break out for closed group sessions with the major electric/hybrid motor manufacturers and related companies, to discuss any electric vehicle concerns and share experiences. There is then the opportunity to test drive the vehicles the manufacturers have to offer, such as the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf, so delegates can experience for themselves how electric vehicles really perform. The breakout sessions will be hosted by BMW, Tesla, Nissan, Peugeot, Alphabet, Mitsubishi, and RouteMonkey, and additional expertise will be on hand from EDF energy, Co-Wheels and ULEMCo.

Tesla will alsoting en be presly-sought h the hig l S, which the electric vehicle Mode over 300 charging point network s t boas ric miles (recharge). An overview elect e full will also be given on all low carbon activities on on ge the City Region have char been involved in, such as the

Group seminar The group seminar will kick-off with OLEV’s Jonathan Mitchell sharing the latest in government grants and how local authorities are invited to bid for a share of the £35 million go ultra low city scheme, which they can use in a range of ways to support ultra-low emission vehicles.

Councillor Ron Abbey from Merseytravel will share his vision on why low carbon transport is a priority for the City Region, including air quality issues, and details on

Green Bus Fund and the Nissan Leaf’s Merseytravel have in their fleet.

Nigel Trotman, Alphabet’s strategic fleet consultant, will discuss the company’s consultancy service, called AlphaElectric, which addresses the main barriers that have so far hampered the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) in the UK. Nigel will aim to dispel many of the myths about plug-in vehicles, such as availability of charging points, range anxiety and safety.

Nigel will also take one of the closed-room sessions allowing delegates to get the answers to those burning EV questions.

RouteMonkey will be taking one of the closed-group sessions and will highlight how scheduling and optimisation software, specifically designed for EVs can help you get the most out of electric vehicles.

The company’s optimisation software uses complex algorithms to calculate the impact of a wide range of factors on EV range capability. These include payload, average speed, ambient temperature, route topography and driver style. Optimising the use of EVs in this way helps fleets to accomplish the most electric miles possible.

Test drives The eagerly anticipated i3 – BMW’s first electric car – will be available for test drive. The vehicle was designed from

the ground up as a battery electric vehicle and is the result of years of real world trials of the MINI E and the BMW ActiveE. With a range of up to 100 miles in the standard ‘Comfort’ driving mode, the BMW i3 more than covers the typical driving demands for commuting. If you need the reassurance of being able to drive further, a BMW i3 with a range extender increases the range to up to 186 miles and this will also be available to test drive at GreenFleet North West.

Nissan will be showcasing by the ever‑popular Leaf in addition to the e-NV200, Nissans new electric commercial vehicle, and this award winning workhorse can transform your business as one of the most economical commercial vehicles ever produced.

Peugeot will have the iOn on offer… Forget your notions about electric performance, as it can accelerate from 18-35mph in just 3.5s and with a range for 93 miles it’s perfect for urban life. As an alternative to the e-NV200, Peugeot will have their electric Partner available to test drive. It combines all the features which have already made the Partner a great commercial success (currently the UK’s best-selling small van) with modern and attractive styling, great modularity and practicality, and now with the driving experience of an electric drivetrain.

Tesla will also be presenting their highly sought after Model S, which boasts over 300 electric miles on one full charge, and combined with the comfort, style and acceleration (can hit 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds) makes for a truly superb electric vehicle. L FURTHER INFORMATION For more information on how you can attend this exciting event, please email daniel.lee@psigroupltd.co.uk or visit events.reenfleet.net/north-west

Peugeot Partner Electric

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

43

RETRO ROAD TEST Written by Richard Gooding

ad the Downlo pp at ta e le F n t Gree eet.ne reenfl .g p p a es and g a im for more t conten

Together in electric dreams Ahead of its time, or just a whimsical folly? The Sinclair C5 was set to revolutionise the urban landscape and provide emission-free, personal transport.

So why didn’t it? On its 30th anniversary, we take a ride in Sir Clive Sinclair’s first electric vehicle We live in a technology-packed world, where all manner of information is available at the click of a mouse, by a swipe of a smartphone, or by all-encompassing connectivity. Electric vehicles are starting to make small in‑roads and seem a logical step for the digital world we live in today. But imagine how illogical and futuristic they seemed 30 years ago. Last month, the Sinclair C5 celebrated its 30th birthday. Launched to great fanfare on 10 January 1985 at a high-profile glitzy event at London’s Alexandra Palace, the C5 was a three-wheeled electric vehicle aimed at revolutionising city centre transport.

20-mile range Technically an electrically-powered tricycle, the Sinclair C5 was the brainchild of technology entrepreneur and inventor Clive Sinclair. More widely known for his early 1980s computer systems, Sinclair saw the C5 as an alternative and inexpensive form of transport for drivers who regularly travelled alone, either in their cars, on their bicycles or by bus. The launch price was £399 plus Sinclair planned a whole range of electrically-powered vehicles

44

£29 delivery – at the time, the cheapest 998cc Austin Mini City E was £3,298. The C5 was mail order only, arriving in a cardboard box, and it was claimed that the C5 could be driven for five miles on one penny’s worth of electricity or 1,000 miles for the contemporary price of a gallon of fuel.

Range on a single charge was said to be 20 miles. Appearing the same as a regular car battery, the C5’s battery was a ‘deep discharge’ unit, meaning it could be recharged hundreds of times with no noticeable loss of performance. It could be charged to full capacity from flat in eight hours.

While dabbling in electric vehicles since the early 1970s, Sinclair’s development of C5 didn’t commence properly until 1979.

With regulations introduced in 1983 to enable an electric vehicle with a top speed of 15mph close to Sinclair’s already progressed specifications to be marketed and sold, the development process was stepped up. Sinclair himself raised £12 million to fund escalating costs, and in May 1983, Sinclair Vehicles Ltd was formed with Lotus Cars contracted to push the C5 through the final few hurdles.

Hoover in Merthyr Tydfil was contracted to

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

manufacture the C5 with Italian company Polymotor supplying the electric motors.

It’s an urban myth that C5s are powered by washing machine motors, although Hoover engineers were trained to service the C5.

Futuristic yet retro The C5 stands 2’ 7” high and in 2015 looks both futuristic yet fantastically retro at the same time. There’s no question as to which decade it hails from, thanks to its streamlined white injection-moulded polypropylene body and Tron-like wheel covers, grey and yellow graphics and faired-in, single headlamp.

The biggest concern is that there is no roof, a ‘weather cheater’ poncho being available as an extra-cost option. But, it was practical to a point, having a 28-litre flip-out luggage ‘boot’ on the back of the driver’s seat.

Contemporary accessories included a second battery, side screens for better bad weather protection, a reflector mounted on tall poles for better third party vision – the ‘High-Vis Mast’, a booster cushion for smaller drivers, wing mirrors, a turning indicator kit, C5-branded mudflaps and ‘designer-style’ clothing and tonneau cover.

The C5 Sinclair just stands h and ig 2’ 7” h 5 looks in 201 ristic yet tu both fu ically retro fantast t the a me same ti

Unnerving yet fun Driving a C5 today must be as unnerving as it was fun back in 1985. Clamber aboard

ENGINE:

CO2:

0g/km

WEIGHT:

30kg

MAXIMUM SPEED: RANGE: PRICE (1985):

Sir Clive Sinclair: an electronic pioneer

250W continuous rating motor, 4,100rpm maximum speed

15mph 20 miles

£399 + £29 delivery

Even the tyres are Sinclair-branded!

Sinclair C5’s narrow body, diminutive size and exposure to the elements make driving one a cold and slightly terrifying experience in winter

and make yourself comfortable in the thinly‑padded seat and you immediately feel exposed. After inserting the ignition key into the master security switch and turning on the power, it takes a while to get acclimatised to the under-seat handlebar position. Driving the first few metres in the C5 takes patience and a good deal of dexterity to avoid steering the opposite way to which you want to go. The left-hand handlebar-mounted starter/’accelerator’ button has to be gently modulated too – press it too hard and the C5 shoots off a little unsteadily. Power goes to the left-hand rear wheel only, and to slow down, just release the handlebar button or use the bike-like brake levers to come to a complete stop via the rear drum and front caliper brakes.

Get these processes right, however, and the C5 is fun to tootle along in. And tootle is all you’ll ever do with a 15mph top speed.

Also, don’t get any grand ideas about shooting up hills. Many owners reported unit burn-outs as the 12v DC, 250W-rated permanent magnet motor struggled to cope with any gradient. Pedal assistance was often required. Motor load and battery condition are shown by two LED ‘graph’ displays situated under the aerodynamic, wind tunnel-tested front cowling.

But, even in the residential streets we tested the car in, you never feel completely safe. With little or no crash protection, the C5 feels tiny even among small car-sized traffic. Drivers would also find themselves at the same level of most vehicles’ exhaust fumes or bonnets. Don’t let the Sinclair

The C5 is steered by handlebars. Bike-like pedals are used for self‑powering; LEDs ahead of driver warn of motor and battery load status

publicity video of 1985 fool you – it’s not all smiles, ponchos and wind-in-the-hair motoring. More often than not, in a typical UK climate, ‘driving’ the C5 would be a cold and draughty experience. And this was just one reason why it failed. That and the dwarfed feeling drivers would experience if an HGV sidled up alongside them...

Sales disaster Of course, one of the joys of the C5 was that it could be piloted with no driving licence and anyone could drive one as long as they were fourteen. But sadly not many people did. Claims of production numbers vary wildly, with between 9,000-17,000 made according to ‘official’ figures. Sinclair the company had forecast annual sales of around 100,000 units.

Wildly optimistic or a foolhardy belief in the

Borne in 1940, Sir Clive Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics in 1961 and produced the first slim-line electronic pocket calculator – the Sinclair Executive – in 1972.

RETRO ROAD TEST

1985 Sinclair C5

In 1981 Sinclair Research Limited was formed and the Sinclair ZX81 home computer was released at £49.95 as a kit or £69.95 ready‑built. It is widely credited as the first mass‑market home computer for less than £100.

April 1982 saw the successful ZX Spectrum launched, priced at £125 for the 16KB RAM version and £175 for the 48KB model. Knighted in 1983, Sinclair then launched the Sinclair QL computer for business users, while the ZX Spectrum saw upgrades to become the ZX Spectrum 128 in 1985. It was in 1985 that Sinclair Vehicles LTD was formed.

After the C5’s commercial failure, Sinclair Vehicles put its efforts into other forms of personal transport including the A-bike, a lightweight folding bike for commuters, the 1992 Zike electric bicycle and the Zeta bicycle motor. The Sinclair trademark and computer business was sold in 1986 to Amstrad for £5 million. product? Who knows. Although the C5 was a monumental sales disaster, it is now an icon of the 1980s, maybe because of its commercial disaster. C5 production stopped on 13 August 1985 just seven months after it was paraded to the world. Incidentally, Sir Clive Sinclair claimed that the diminutive C5 was the best‑selling electric car in the UK until the Nissan Leaf overtook it with sales of 20,000 units in 2011.

By the early 1990s Sinclair Vehicles claimed it would have a range of ‘fast, quiet and astonishingly economical’ family transport on the roads of Britain, but sadly the reality was somewhat different to the company’s vision of transport utopia.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, and while the C5 wasn’t the ‘new power in personal transport’ and ‘the world’s first practical personal transport powered by electricity’ Sinclair claimed it would become, the streamlined and odd‑looking EV did publicly display the idea of alternative‑fuelled transport and electric vehicles. And whether that be good or bad, thanks to the C5’s commercial failure, that’s unlikely to be forgotten. L

Thanks to Sue Baker and car and C5 enthusiast Alex Goodwill for allowing us to drive his Sinclair C5 FURTHER INFORMATION c5owners.com www.c5alive.co.uk

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

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ROAD TEST

Function and flair

Written by Richard Gooding

With a reputation for innovative models such as the Traction Avant, 2CV and DS, Citroën marks a return to its engineering-led roots with the C4 Cactus. But is it a prickly customer?

Richard Gooding finds out ‘Cactus. A succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem which typically bears spines, lacks leaves, and has brilliantly coloured flowers.

Cacti are native to arid regions of the New World and are cultivated elsewhere, especially as pot plants.’

While the new C-segment crossover from Citroën has neither a thick fleshy stem or spines, it does have a wide range of brilliantly-coloured exterior finishes.

Developed with style very much at the forefront if its engineering programme, the C4 Cactus is as radical on the outside as it ordinary underneath. Its polarising looks eclipse those of the popular Nissan Juke, but is the C4 Cactus more style than substance?

Ecological concept Citroën’s new C4 family member takes its name from the C-Cactus concept from 2007.

This ‘ecological’ concept was a hybrid diesel capable of 69mpg with CO2 emissions of 78g/km. With seven years between idea and reality, the cleanest production C4 Cactus comes very close to the cleanliness of that

lighter than its C4 classmate, helped by its aluminium bonnet, smaller latest-generation Euro 6-compliant engines, and pop-out rather than wind-down rear windows. The panoramic sunroof with advanced heat protection and ‘Magic Wash’ wiper system (the front wiper jets are mounted on the wiper blade itself rather than on the bonnet and use half the amount of fluid) are also said to provide weight-saving benefits.

initial concept. The Blue HDi 100 with 15-inch wheels has an official mpg figure of 94.2, while emissions are rated at 82g/km. Even the range-topping Flair test car emitted just 89g/km of CO2, while theoretically capable of achieving 88.3mpg when riding Avantgarde design on its 17-inch alloy wheels.

Just as with the concept from With s Over the 289-mile test period which it takes its name, r a e a real-world average of the C4 Cactus has its fair y n e sev a 60mpg was recorded, share of avantgarde e d i n which is still impressive, design details. The betweelity, the given the cut and thrust most talked about a e r and ction u A-road and M25 nature features are of course d o r p t s e s e n lo of my daily 60-mile the ‘Airbumps’. These a c e l s c come ss s commute. exterior panels are made u t c a C4 C e cleanline Part of this fuel from TPU (Thermoplastic to th e initial economy thriftiness Polyurethane) and feature is down to the C4 tiny air capsules which of th pt Cactus’ lightweight both absorb impacts and conce material construction. Based help prevent scratches. They can on Citroën’s ‘PF1’ small car be specified in four colours which platform which underpins the C3 and contrast with the ten vibrant body shades.

DS3 superminis, the C4 Cactus is considered Additional personalisation can be added with a Golf-sized C-segment car. The French £50 colour-keyed mirror caps. KT14 AHF had a company says that it’s around 200kg touch of menace about it with its £395 Shark

Citroën C4 Cactus Flair Blue HDi 100

Enterprise pack costs £600 + VAT, but includes rear parking sensors and air-conditioning

ENGINE:

1,560cc, four-cylinder diesel

CO2:

89g/km

MPG (combined): VED: BIK: PRICE (OTR):

C4 Cactus features lightweight construction which helps lower emissions and raise mpg

46

83.1 Band A, £0 14%

£18,090 (including VAT, £20,525 as tested)

ROAD TEST

C4 Cactus’ interior features minimal and high-tech instrumentation

Grey paintwork, £150 Stone Grey Airbumps and red mirror caps. Buyers can choose from a palette of 21 colour combinations, while sleek split-level headlamps and LED running lights take their cues from the C4 Picasso MPV. It’s a similar story of design-led function on the inside. The dashboard appears to be a floating ‘shelf’ with a tablet mounted in the middle. In front of the passenger sits the ‘Top Box’, a top-opening glove box with a lid designed to look like high-end luggage and an 8.5-litre capacity. Leather straps are in‑laid from front to back, while matching leather straps held in by metal ‘buckles’ perform the function of door pulls. The 7-inch ‘Touch Drive’ tablet controls all the infotainment and vehicle functions, as well as the air-conditioning and ventilation controls, too. A flat instrument panel sits behind the steering wheel showing the absolute minimum driving information. It works well, only showing the driver exactly what is needed (speed, lights and wiper statuses and whether ‘Eco’ mode is activated).

Quality is a step up from Citroëns of old, with gloss black air vents contrasting nicely with the grey dappled plastic dash of the test car. The spacious cabin is a very comfortable place be. The front seats are sofa-like (but long in the squab for short people), while the LED mood lighting adds to the ‘designer’ ambience. The Airbump theme continues on the inside, with stitching on the seats and indents in the plastic door panels shaped the same as the air-filled capsules on the exterior panels. The £695 black and leather cloth pack adds a luxurious feel as does the £395 panoramic sunroof, which is specially treated to keep out harmful UV rays.

To drive, the C4 Cactus is as ordinary as its looks are extraordinary. The 98bhp 1.6‑litre Blue HDi diesel engine is a little gruff and rarely quietens down to a whisper.

While road noise is kept to a minimum, wind noise is noticeable at speed. Performance is adequate rather than pacey (187lb ft of torque is developed at 1,750rpm) but this car isn’t meant to be a GTI. Accordingly, the ride is very comfortable and bumps are dealt with with very little fuss.

Yes, there’s some body roll in corners and the steering is a little numb, but overall, the C4 Cactus is a relaxed and composed companion.

C4 Cactus styling is inspired by similar concept car of 2007

Innovative thermoplastic polyurethane ‘Airbumps’ feature tiny air capsules which absorb impacts and prevent scratches

Lower running costs Citroën says that all of the weight-saving technologies contribute to lower running costs, reported to be up to almost 20 per cent less than ‘benchmark vehicles in the compact hatchback segment’. It also states that the low weight doesn’t wear out parts like brakes and suspension – as well as consumables such as tyres – quite so rapidly.

While the latter has to wait a while before it can be quantified, a BIK rate of 14 per cent is competitive, and a price of £18,090 for the top‑line Flair in Blue HDi form represents good value for what’s on offer.

A Nissan Juke Tekna dCi 110 2WD emits 15g/km more, does 18mpg less, and while more powerful, costs £1,075 more. The Renault Captur Dynamique S MediaNav meanwhile is just £5 more

expensive, but like the Juke, loses out to the C4 Cactus when it comes to fuel efficiency and emission numbers (78.5mpg and 95g/km respectively).

With a long-standing reputation for innovation and ‘quirkiness’, Citroën has offered very mainstream cars in the past few years. That may be about to change. The C4 Cactus marks a welcome return to the more innovative side of Citroën which is to be applauded. That this differentiation comes with modern and fuel‑saving technologies is the icing on the C4 Cactus-shaped cake.

But, the C4 Cactus is a divisive car – people either love it or hate it. Priced from £12,990 for the entry-level ‘Touch’ models, the avantgarde Citroën is cheaper than its regular C4 sibling (priced from £14,240), yet is both more stylish and cleaner.

Citroën is marketing the C4 Cactus with the ‘Stay Curious’ strapline. While it’s not as ground-breaking as Citroën’s illustrious past models – the 1934 Traction Avant, 1948 2CV or the 1955 DS – the C4 Cactus marks a step change for the French company.

Departures such as moving the passenger airbag to the roof, the innovative world‑first Airbump technology and cost‑effective ‘Magic Wash’ windscreen‑washing system, the French company is once again reaffirming its innovator roots.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but be brave and explore the Citroën C4 Cactus – it will only harm you with its charm. L Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

47

ROAD TEST

On and off-roading in the Panda Cross

Written by Angela Pisanu

The new Fiat Panda Cross combines off-road functionality with the practicality of a city car, finds Angela Pisanu The new Fiat Panda Cross is based on the Panda 4x4, but has even more capability for off-roading, including hill-descent technology, large, all-weather tyres, increased ground clearance and additional body protection.

The exterior has style cues that indicate it’s capable of off-roading. The front has a chunky black bumper and a large metal skidplate with bright red tow hooks. It has new LED daytime running lights and its headlights are framed with matte black casing and incorporate fog lights.

Three modes of driving The vehicle’s ‘terrain control’ function allows the driver to choose between three driving modes – auto, off-road and hill descent control – to adjust the driving characteristics of the vehicle according to how it is being used.

Auto mode automatically distributes the engine torque between the front and rear axles. On normal roads in good conditions, the Panda Cross is 98 per cent front-wheel driven, but when a loss of traction is detected the system reacts by

Fiat Panda Cross sits above the Panda and Panda 4x4 in Fiat’s small car range

48

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

ROAD TEST

Fiat Panda Cross interior is well-equipped; heated windscreen is an option

seconds and has a top speed of 99mph. On redistributing the engine torque between paper it’s combined fuel consumption figure is axles in just a tenth of a second.

60.1 mpg and its CO2 emissions are 125g/km.

In off-road mode, the all-wheel drive function is permanently activated up to Off-roading 30mph. The electronic locking differential On the short distance of off-road terrain is engaged, ASR intervention is disengaged that I took the Panda Cross on, it and to improve traction on slippery or icy performed as desired; it griped to slippery ground, the ESC system is employed to brake bumps, dips, ascents and declines with slipping wheels and transfer the engine’s confidence. On the normal roads, the Cross torque to those wheels with the most grip. performed well as a city car, feeling agile Hill descent control activates and responsive in towns. At high speeds automatically on tricky downhill terrain however, the Panda Cross is noisy – both and uses the ESC sensors and ABS brake from engine hum and road/wind noise. system to maintain a constant speed The vehicle has a good list of standard and avoid unexpected movements. equipment, including automatic climate The Panda Cross also has all-season mud control; bluetooth connectivity; satellite and snow tyres, which are larger than navigation; heated electric door mirrors; those of the standard Panda 4x4. These remote central locking; ESC system tyres were specially developed to ensure complete with ELD and Terrain Control optimum traction and responsiveness and all-season 185/65R15 M+S tyres. on wet, snowy and dry surfaces.

Optional equipment and accessories include The Panda Cross comes in one specification, a useful winter pack (£250) with and a choice of two engines – the heated windscreen and heated 89bhp 0.9-litre TwinAir petrol The front seats; rear parking with a six-speed manual e r sensors; and a City Brake gearbox and the 80bhp t i l 1.3 l Control system which 1.3-litre diesel engine with e s e i d t e J i t l received a ‘Euro NCAP a five-speed gearbox. I u s M ss ha o r Advanced’ reward for drove the latter model. It C a d f o s Pan e r its contribution to road can do 0-62mph in 14.3 u g fi

‘Terrain Control’ function has three modes

safety in 2013. This system operates at speeds of up to 19mph and employs a laser sensor to detect the presence of vehicles in front of the car and uses the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking, brake prefill and brake assist systems if the driver fails to stop.

The new Fiat Panda Cross is on sale now and is priced from £15,945 for the TwinAir version and £16,945 for the diesel-powered model.

For those drivers that a do a mixture of off-road trips and city journeys, the Fiat Panda Cross is worthy of consideration. L

Fiat Panda Cross 1.3‑litre MultiJet 80

Enterprise pack costs £600 + VAT, but includes rear parking sensors and air-conditioning

ENGINE:

1,248cc, four-cylinder diesel

CO2:

125g/km

MPG (combined): VED:

60.1

Band D, £0 first year, £110 thereafter

BIK:

21%

PRICE (OTR):

er on pap combined 60.1 and CO2 g p m e l cyc ns of emissio/km 125g

£16,495 (including VAT)

Hill descent technology means genuine off-road capability

‘Cross’ badging means extra body protection

Fiat Panda Cross is equally at home in the city or the countryside

Volume 81 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

49

PRODUCT FINDER

AXIS200 WHEEL ALIGNERS

CLAIMS MANAGEMENT

Haweka

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HYDROGEN VEHICLES

ULEMCo Ulemco Ltd The Quay, 12 Princes Pararde, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 1BG Tel: 1928 787179 info@ulemco.com / www.ulemco.com ULEMCo Ltd offer services to convert light commercial vehicles to run on hydrogen.

Services include the supply & installation of a safely engineered retrofit, warranty and VSO certificate. H2ICED™ vans, have verified emissions at 59g/km CO2. Advice, consultancy and the supply of hydrogen refuelling capability can also be provided.

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Jaama 15 Amber Business Village, Amber Close Amington, Tamworth B77 4RP Tel: 0844 8484 333 enquiries@jaama.co.uk www.jaama.com Licence2Check is a web-based electronic driver licence checking service with the DVLA. Batch licence check requests will be sent automatically depending upon the risk profile of the driver. Licence2Check is a simple, effective tool to help you meet your Duty of Care responsibility and obligations under the Health and Safety Executive guidelines.

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Alphabet IFC, 42 Automotive Leasing 10 Auto Sock 38 BG Products 38 Chevin Fleet 32 Citroen UK 6, 7 DAF Trucks 30 Fiat Professional 8 Fiat 16 Isla Components 32 Jeep 24, 25 Lex Autolease IBC Mitsubishi 18, 19 Nissan 14 Peugeot 41 The Commercial Vehicle Show 36 Toyota OBC Vauxhall Vans 34, 35 Vauxhall 22, 23 Vehcam 32

DEDICATED TO PROMOTING A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT | www.greenfleet.net

DRIVING THE FUTURE

At Lex Autolease, we do more than just help you choose the most efficient vehicles. We can help structure your policy, manage your mileage and enable your drivers to use their vehicles more efficiently.

Our aim is lower emissions and costs for you – which is good for the environment and your business.

0845 769 7381 marketing@lexautolease.co.uk lexautolease.co.uk/thegreen

MY NAME IS PAUL AND I’M A

QUITTER Set to save over £500,000* and improve UK air quality by quitting diesels.

By choosing petrol full hybrids over equivalent diesel models, Paul will save his company over half a million pounds in three years. Reduced BIK tax bills mean company car drivers will be on average £5,000 better off. Paul’s also said goodbye to diesel particulates, improving the air we all breathe.

Read Paul’s story at quitclub.org.uk

Paul James, Facilities Manager, Slimming World.

brilliant for business

*Saving based on switching existing Honda fl eet to Lexus hybrids.