GreenFleet 133 - Public Sector Special

PUBLIC SECTOR

Special

Helping the public sector with its environmental commitments Brought to you by

GreenFleet

02 Charging Infrastructure To support the successful transition to electric vehicles, public sector organisations need a clear strategy in relation to their charging. Lorraine Chiu, decarbonisation commercial lead at Crown Commercial Service discusses workplace and home charging considerations, as well as how local authorities can support the public in the uptake of electric vehicles

04 Charging Infrastructure The Energy Saving Trust looks at some of the lessons learnt from each of the cities involved in the Go Ultra Low Cities scheme

07 Air Quality Clean Air Zones seek to restrict the most polluting vehicles from entering parts of towns and cities suffering from poor air quality. Andrea Lee from environmental law charity ClientEarth gives an update on the progress being made on these essential schemes

11Grey Fleet With local authorities under scrutiny over their participation in national net zero ambitions, and many under financial pressure, the use of grey fleet is no longer practical or sensible. But how can it be tackled? James Lancaster, chair of the Urban Mobility Partnership, shares his views

Public Sector Special Written by Lorraine Chiu, decarbonisation commercial lead at Crown Commercial Service

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CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE

What you need to know about electric vehicle charging infrastructure To support the successful transition to electric vehicles, public sector organisations need a clear strategy in relation to their charging. Lorraine Chiu, decarbonisation commercial lead at Crown Commercial Service, discusses workplace and home charging considerations, as well as how local authorities can support the public in the uptake of electric vehicles In December 2020 the Prime Minister announced ambitious new emissions targets setting the UK on the path to net zero by 2050. The plan aims for at least 78 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, compared to 1990 levels.

Transport is the largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and over 75 per cent of District, County,

Unitary and Metropolitan Councils have declared a ‘climate emergency’.

An organisation’s fleet and transport policy provides a key opportunity to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and make a huge positive impact as the public sector to builds back greener. pu

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The importance of charging infrastructure Electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent across operational fleets, with transition to fully electric Local buses beginning in cities across authori the UK such as Coventry and ties London, while fully electric will nee refuse collection vehicles suppor d are being trialled in Oxford. t th

e blic w transitioith their EV well-sit n through chargin ed public g facilit ies

Understanding your requirements The fleet profile is shaped by an organisation’s operational requirements and this dependency will flow down to the charging infrastructure strategy in order to ensure that operational vehicles are powered and ready to use when required.

Whilst some fleets may be used solely for operational purposes, others will include a mix of business and private usage, with the uptake of green vehicle salary sacrifice schemes

Public Sector Special

To support successful transition to electric vehicles, organisations need a clear strategy in relation to their charging. How much can public and home-based charging be utilised and what restrictions are in place for installation of workplace charging?

Where work-based parking is provided, organisations will also have to factor in how they can support the staff commute and visitors who travel by car.

Alongside this, local authorities will also need to consider how they support the public with their transition to zero emission vehicles through the provision of well-sited public charging facilities.

The market is still relatively new and fast developing with innovative solutions. This can make it challenging for buyers, with so many inputs and variables to consider.

Integrating back office solutions and software is often an overlooked element of vehicle charging infrastructure though it’s one of the most important aspects increasing considerably over the last 12 months. Local authority fleets are often made up of all these options as they seek to serve the needs of their regional citizens and support access to sustainable transport solutions.

Vehicles that return to “depot” each night can be charged over a longer period and optimise the lower electricity tariffs, whilst for those vehicles that are required 24 hours per day consideration will need to be given for access to rapid charging facilities or charge points that can charge more than one vehicle at a time.

It is also important to consider the EV battery capabilities of your existing and future vehicles as this will impact your chargepoint needs and avoid paying for charge points that cannot be maximised by your fleet profile.

Sometimes the simplest vehicles to tackle first are those which go home with employees overnight, whether they be business related or part of a vehicle salary sacrifice scheme. Home charging solutions are tried and tested and can be easily incorporated into the vehicle’s lease agreement.

Funding options Once you’ve understood your fleet profile and the high-level condition of your estate, you will need to consider which funding model best suits your needs.

Firstly, how is your organisation going to fund the overall infrastructure? Is it a traditional purchase or leasing arrangement, with ongoing subscription fees? Do you want to generate an income or explore a supplier funded model, whereby you are commissioning a supplier to cover the costs themselves, in return for profit made on the actual cost of charging?

There are a myriad of ways in which infrastructure contracts can be constructed and these should be considered against your overall strategy. In all cases it is important to check out what grant funding may be available and that you are aligned to the requirements.

A full end-to-end solution Even to the most experienced fleet manager or commercial professional, contracting for vehicle charging is likely to be a new topic to consider.

There are a number of elements available in a full end-to-end solution, from initial scoping and feasibility studies, through to project management of the design, installation and management, including data capture.

One option is a single contract for the entire solution, which can gain cost-efficiencies via a prime contractor managing each element. Alternatively, you can split out these areas of work into discrete projects and let contracts within each area, taking advantage of niche specialisms across the industry.

Don’t forget the readiness assessment A primary assessment of your sites ensures their suitability and can also help you identify the most cost-effective, convenient and overall safest place to install your vehicle charging infrastructure.

This independent advice can help you determine the optimum financial construct for your infrastructure, balancing all of the demands for power you may have.

Undergoing feasibility studies can help you avoid the unnecessary additional costs of ongoing upgrades and repairs down the line, as well as supporting your cohesive travel strategy.

Accessing the industry experts can help you navigate the technical issues too, such as groundworks and civil engineering, as well as liaison with the relevant Distribution Network Operators (DNO), to better understand local electricity transmission and demand.

Behind the scenes Integrating back office solutions and software is often an overlooked element of vehicle charging infrastructure though it’s one of the most important aspects.

The back office solution connects you to the charge points on your network, tracking usage to be able to determine their effectiveness. Software can automatically identify and report faults meaning you can remotely diagnose, maintain or upgrade the charge points and software to resolve problems as quickly as possible.

Software can also help you integrate a payment solution into your infrastructure so you gain control over tariff prices as well as visibility in real time on costs and carbon savings through a single dashboard.

Compliance with the latest Open Charge Point Protocols (OCCP) with capability to support multiple currencies and languages as well as interoperability of other networks ensures your system is not only future proof but also provides improved accessibility for users.

CCS can help the transition to greener fleets CCS is here to support you, wherever you are on the journey to a more sustainable fleet.

For more information on total fleet solutions, including vehicle charging infrastructure solutions, or to speak to one of CCS’ experts, visit the website.

If you’re interested in receiving similar content, sign up for CCS’ Fleet Newsletter, where it shares its latest news and insights.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.crowncommercial.gov.uk

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Public Sector Special

CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE

The Go Ultra Low Cities Scheme The Energy Saving Trust looks at some of the lessons learnt from each of the cities involved in the Go Ultra Low Cities scheme Following the government’s commitment on 18 November 2020, to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, we will see electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly mainstream in the next few years. Therefore, local authorities are considering how they will support the transition to electric vehicles.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean comments: “Councils have an integral role to play in our transition to zero-emission vehicles. We have so far committed £1.3 billion to rolling out charging infrastructure, including £20m in the coming financial year, to support local authorities to install infrastructure for residents without off-street parking. We are working with councils to tackle any barriers they may face in accessing this support and I would urge councils that they must use the funding we have made available to ensure their residents can charge their cars quickly and easily.

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(OZEV) four years ago. The scheme’s aim was to create a cohort of eight exemplar cities or regions, to lead the way in promoting electric vehicles, tackling air quality, and reducing carbon emissions. The Go Ultra Low Cities were Oxford, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, York, Dundee, London, the West of England, and the North East.

Energy Saving Trust assisted OZEV to showcase each of the Go Ultra Low Cities projects by hosting an informative webinar series of events in 2020.

Some key themes and lessons were learnt from this series, to inform and help other local authorities to learn and develop their own projects in the future.

“We have already supported the installation of more than 150,000 residential and almost 21,000 public chargepoints. This includes One size doesn’t fit all support to 145 local authorities to install almost Each local authority will have unique 4,000 chargepoints and with further funding challenges and require different charging announced last month, even more people are solutions to help solve issues including set to benefit from better chargepoint access.” providing for residents who do not There are many considerations in the roll have access to off street parking. out of electric vehicles and local authorities One on-street charging approach was seen are finding themselves navigating a new in Oxford, where a mixture of technologies and at times complex area of work. Lessons were trialled, including lamp post can be learned from those charging, bollards and home local authorities that have chargers with cable gullies. more mature plans There

Alternatively, Milton for the transition. are ma Keynes and London looked at The Go Ultra Low conside ny a community hubs solution, Cities scheme was the roll rations in where chargepoints are launched by the o and loc ut of EVs provided in car parks Office for Zero al auth near residential areas.

Emission Vehicles or ha

DRIVING THE SWITCH TO CLEANER FLEETS | www.greenfleet.net

ities ve to new an navigate a d area of complex work

Leadership and political buy-in Dundee felt that leadership from the very top of the council was key to allowing the city to innovate in this area of work. The city’s council leader owns an electric vehicle (EV) and is an advocate for making the switch to electric.

Nottingham also had political buy-in, which it found invaluable. The city’s deputy leader, also an EV driver, was an electric champion throughout the project, helping Nottingham to navigate through any stumbling blocks.

Partnership working In London, partnership working between the key stakeholders – Transport for London (TfL), 32 London boroughs and Highways England – enabled the project to progress

Public Sector Special

In London, these chargepoints can also be used by businesses during the day.

Dundee focused on the rapid charging hub model, installing three hubs with a fourth planned. These hubs include six rapid chargers, three 22kW chargers and battery storage.

The city struggled with an on-street solution, as lamp posts are located at the back of the footway, however, it has been trialling pop up chargers, similar to those tested in Oxford.

York is looking to ensure it has a mixture of charging types and sufficient infrastructure in the right places, such as council-owned car parks. The city is focusing on fast charging in council car parks and hyper hubs on the outskirts of the city.

Each local authority will have unique challenges and require different charging solutions to help solve issues including providing for residents who do not have access to off street parking successfully. The individual boroughs had limited resources to work on this project themselves, however, collaborating with TfL and Highways England allowed them to draw on additional knowledge and expertise.

London also set up a stakeholder taskforce to discuss problems, possible solutions and to develop a delivery plan. The taskforce’s key partners included the Federation of Small Businesses, Ofgem, UK Power Networks, RAC Foundation and the British Retail Consortium.

Both Dundee and Nottingham found that working with their chargepoint supplier was essential for a successful chargepoint installation. The chargepoint operators have excellent technical expertise, while the councils were able to provide local knowledge.

Each of the Go Ultra Low Cities found it helpful and important to share ideas and knowledge, to avoid issues or mistakes others had made.

Lloyd Allen, Go Ultra Low West, said: “I was really grateful to have the ear of other Go Ultra Low Cities when developing our approach. Sharing information between local authorities is usually common currency.

It really has been invaluable for us.”

Identifying internal resources A dedicated officer was required to research and understand the EV charging market in the West of England region, to inform and make decisions on the procurement strategy.

In many cases, this area of work plays just a small part of an officer’s role and it can be challenging to invest the time required.

Oxford made use of existing technical knowledge and expertise in other council departments. The city worked closely with colleagues in the highways department, who had wealth of experience from working on other projects which required managing and maintaining infrastructure on highways.

York made changes to its council structure to allow EV developments to be prioritised, including creating a dedicated EV strategy officer and a project management role to help deliver infrastructure projects.

Engaging your audience Milton Keynes saw the benefit of running a behaviour change programme to facilitate the switch to electric vehicles. The project included promotion and marketing, as well as installing infrastructure. The city felt it was important to understand customer’s needs, and introduced an EV experience centre offering myth busting EV expert advice, vehicle displays and test drives.

Dundee delivered a local marketing campaign after the city realised that residents

did not know what the EV charging hubs in the city were. The local authority organised focus groups looking at barriers and issues with local infrastructure, before developing a Drive Dundee Electric campaign.

The Drive Dundee Electric Campaign has since hosted several events, including a ‘Chat and Charge’ event, which saw Dundee Council meet electric vehicle drivers and members of the public at the EV hub to exchange knowledge and encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.

Feedback from local businesses in Nottingham found that most preferred to learn from their peers, with business to business engagement proving more powerful and persuasive than information from council officers.

Other sustainable travel modes Electric vehicles are not the only solution in the transition to low carbon transport in our towns and cities. EVs should be placed within a wider travel hierarchy that prioritises active travel and public transport journeys first and promotes trips by car only when there are no alternatives.

Oxford was keen to avoid installing install EV charging infrastructure in workplaces and shopping centres or supermarkets, as the city prefers to promote active travel and public transport to make journeys to these destinations, rather than risk ‘locking in’ car use.

Milton Keynes is continuing to focus on the wider sustainable travel picture by investing in electric buses, car clubs and demand responsive services, as well as EV infrastructure.

Dundee is installing micro hubs that not only provide EV charging, but also car sharing bays and electric bikes.

Each city is still very much at the start of their transition journey into providing EV charging infrastructure and all have learned valuable lessons from the work carried out in the last four years.

If you would like to find out more about any of the Go Ultra Low Cities, all webinar recordings can be found on the Local Government Support Programme advice web page.

Energy Saving Trust’s Local Government Support Programme is funded by the DfT and helps councils in England make better sense of their EV options. Its advice is free, independent, and tailored to different stages of implementing an EV strategy.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

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Public Sector Special

EXPERT OPINION

A holistic approach to meeting climate targets With the ban on new ICE vehicles brought forward to 2030, the pressure is on public sector fleets to make the switch to electric and other alternatively fuelled vehicles. But it’s not just about the vehicles purchased. Calum Slowther from vehicle movement specialist Engineius shares how the public sector can take a holistic approach to carbon reduction With the ban on new ICE vehicles brought forward to 2030, the pressure is on public sector fleets to make the switch to electric and other alternatively fuelled vehicles.

What should they consider before making the switch?

As the old saying goes: Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.

A lot of preparation is needed and can be done before electric vehicles actually arrive in the car park or on driveways for the first time. In the delivery process, we often find preparation has not been done and it results in delays to the EV roll out programme.

Practical actions include surveying staff to find out which have charge points already installed, or good access to public ones (and who wants an EV the most!).

Fleet operators can also begin installing charge points well ahead of delivery, as well as create training materials for staff on how to use EVs. These can be put online so people can easily access them and read at their own speed.

EVs, in particular, are in short supply right now. Taking proactive actions prior to switching will ensure that public sector fleets are ready to adopt EVs as soon as they are available.

The public sector is expected to lead the way when it comes to sustainability. How can they be creative in meeting their climate targets, looking beyond just vehicles?

The closest place to look is their vehicle supply chain. Vehicle movement providers, for example, vary greatly in their carbon footprints. Those using chaser vehicles to drop off and collect drivers are driving more than double the necessary miles.

Our work with one of the largest fleets in the country in 2019 suggested they were driving 24 miles for every 10 miles of necessary vehicle movement, purely through ferrying drivers for servicing visits.

At Engineius, on the other hand, our drivers organise their own travel using public transport.

Beyond that, eat plants and continue to do meetings on Zoom!

In what ways can the government accelerate the adoption of zero emission transport?

First and foremost, the government needs to ensure that 100 per cent of electricity is

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To be creative in meeting carbon targets, the public sector should look at their vehicle supply chain. Vehicle movement providers vary greatly in their carbon footprints. Those using chaser vehicles to drop off and collect drivers are driving more than double the necessary miles generated from renewable energy sources.

This dictates how environmentally friendly EVs actually are (as well as other electricity-using devices). In Germany, for example, much of the electricity supply is still generated by coal power, meaning EVs are less environmentally friendly.

To encourage usage, it is key that governments make it cheap and convenient to use zero emission transport. If they do that, adoption will look after itself as consumers will naturally make choices in the environment’s interest as well as their own.

Regarding vehicle movement specifically, do not get your new EV delivered on a transporter. This quickly gives your zero emission vehicle a carbon footprint before you have driven it a mile.

A significant amount of business travel in the public sector is undertaken by drivers in their own vehicles. But with ‘grey fleet’ vehicles generally being older, more polluting and potentially more dangerous, what can the public sector do to manage the issue This is clearly a difficult area that is not easily solved. Our advice to public sector fleets would be to measure grey fleet usage and its carbon footprint. At Engineius, we are firm believers that you cannot manage what you don’t measure. The numbers might not immediately say what you want them to, but they give you a starting point and impetus for change, as well as information on what you need to do to bring about change.

One really practical example of the power of data in helping the environment is our work with one of the biggest dealer groups in the country. They have over 50 sites across England and were transporting nearly 60 per cent of inter-dealer transfers on transporters.

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By playing back these figures to senior management, they took the decision to ban all transported movements (much worse for the environment than driven movements) for used vehicles. Transported movements now account for only 30 per cent of movements. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.engineius.co.uk

Calum Slowther, commercial director, Engineius Calum Slowther is Engineius’ commercial director. He joined the company as employee number one in March 2017. Since designing the company’s go to market strategy and proposition, he has been responsible for scaling the business.

He is now also responsible for ESG at Engineius, ensuring business is done responsibly.

Public Sector Special

AIR QUALITY

Clean Air Zones: State of the nation Air pollution has been in the spotlight recently to take them to court three times over following the inquest into the death of Ella the last ten years. This has resulted in 63 Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old girl who local authorities across England and Wales lived in London and suffered a fatal asthma being ordered to identify local proposals attack in 2013. For the first time, a coroner to tackle illegal levels of pollution in their concluded that air pollution was an official areas in the shortest possible time. factor in someone’s death and recommended Road transport, in particular diesel vehicles, the adoption of stricter air pollution laws. is the biggest source of illegal levels of The decision recognises the dangerous nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution direct and fatal damage that in towns and cities across the UK, exposure to pollution can responsible for up to 80 per cent of After wreak on a person’s the problem where illegal levels it went life. Unfortunately, are recorded, according to the on 15 M live poor air quality government’s own analysis. affects the lives To deal with this Bath be arch, of hundreds of first city came the thousands more Air Zon with a Clean people in the e outsid UK who have L ondon e of no choice but to breathe dangerously dirty air – in particular the young, older people and other vulnerable members of society. But in spite of everything we know about the danger, 75 per cent of air quality reporting zones are still charting illegal levels of air pollution.

CAZs and business: what’s the impact?

CAZs do not ban vehicles: they only affect those vehicles that do not meet the minimum emission standards. They only have an effect once they are implemented but they also provide a strong signal to drivers and fleet managers, encouraging the purchase of cleaner vehicles before they even come into force. This is vital for business planning. In response to a survey last year, 76 per cent of businesses said they will replace vehicles to meet CAZ and ULEZ standards – in turn, E

Written by Andrea Lee, clean air campaigns manager, ClientEarth

Clean Air Zones seek to restrict the most polluting vehicles from entering parts of towns and cities suffering from poor air quality.

Andrea Lee from environmental law charity ClientEarth gives an update on the progress being made on these essential schemes

problem, Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are a good starting point: they seek to restrict the most polluting vehicles from entering the most polluted parts of towns and cities.

The government identified CAZs as the most effective way to meet legal limits for NO2 in the shortest time possible.

And we know they work: London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) reduced NO2 pollution levels by 37 per cent in the first two months of 2020 before the pandemic struck.

Clean Air Zones: taking stock and looking forward The UK Government’s lack of action to cut air pollution has forced ClientEarth

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Public Sector Special

 it’s a reputational boost for those companies. In London, according to analysis by the Greater London Authority, there was a 55 per cent increase in compliant vehicles over the two years running up to the implementation of the ULEZ in April 2019.

UK CAZs: state of the nation After delays and backtracking, we are starting to see long-awaited progress on these essential schemes.

Bath became the first city with a Clean Air Zone outside of London, after its CAZ went live on 15 March. Their CAZ does not include restrictions on private passenger cars but is a crucial step in protecting people’s health in the city.

Next is Birmingham, which is preparing to deliver a Class D Clean Air Zone that applies to all vehicle classes on 1 June 2021.

This will be followed by Bristol, whose City Council has formally approved a plan for a Class D Clean Air Zone. It will restrict the most polluting of all vehicle classes from the city centre and is scheduled to go live by October 2021.

Bradford Council also recently approved a Class C Clean Air Zone set to be introduced in January 2022.

Greater Manchester meanwhile has reconfirmed its commitment to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Spring 2022, subject to a number of exemptions, but is being slow in finalising its plans.

In March, London tightened the emission standards for its city-wide Low Emission Zone, affecting buses, lorries, coaches and some vans. This brings it in line with the ULEZ, which applies to all vehicles classes and will be expanding from the city centre to cover all of inner London on 25 October.

Help needed from government While these commitments are cause for optimism, we need to see all businesses, big and small, adopting cleaner vehicles in order to tackle the air quality crisis. But for this to happen, much more is needed from government, both in terms of regulatory certainty around the approval of CAZs and financial support. Without these, planning becomes difficult for both large and small businesses.

CAZs do not ban vehicles: they only affect those vehicles that do not meet the minimum emission standards. They only have an effect once they are implemented but they also provide a strong signal to drivers and fleet managers, encouraging the purchase of cleaner vehicles before they even come into force Businesses urgently need to know what is going to happen at a local level, but we also need to see a clearer long-term vision for how the UK will transition to a zero emission transport system, matched with interim milestones and targeted funding.

Financial support for businesses developing the technologies that support a zero emission transport system will give the UK a real stake in the future of automotive manufacturing and create high-quality jobs that are distributed across the country. In addition, a long-term plan for delivering charging infrastructure is also essential to provide clarity and support for commercial fleet charging infrastructure. This will help unlock the private sector investment necessary to help shape the UK’s electric vehicle market. The announcement earlier this year from the Department for Transport that the electric vehicle Workplace Charging Scheme will be opened up to small to medium enterprises was welcomed.

However, this was later contrasted in the budget by an unexpected reduction to the government’s plug-in car grant scheme for electric cars, vans and lorries.

The trend towards a cleaner and healthier zero emission transport system is not only underway but is accelerating. We have a huge opportunity for this to deliver economic as well as health and environmental benefits.

It is time for government to walk the talk.

Only half the story?

Tackling illegal NO2 pollution is a major priority – but many parts of the UK also

report levels of particulate matter (PM) – another toxic pollutant – that, while within current legal limits, are well over the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A significant proportion of PM pollution also comes from brake, tyre, clutch and road surface wear which means that even zero exhaust emission vehicles still produce pollution.

With the forthcoming Environment Bill – the country’s flagship piece of environmental legislation now that we have left the European Union – the government has a golden opportunity to show its level of ambition.

That’s why it needs to adopt stronger legal limits that drive action to better protect people’s health and make sure that no part of the country exceeds the levels recommended by the WHO. The coroner in Ella’s case agrees that this would prevent future deaths. ClientEarth, alongside the WHO itself and other UK health organisations, believes that this must be achieved by 2030 at the very latest.

Toxic air is clearly not going to disappear on its own. Solutions are at our fingertips and with the will of businesses and most importantly government, we can turn the situation around. L

Andrea Lee is clean air campaigns manager at environmental law charity ClientEarth.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.clientearth.org

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Zwings is a community-first micro-mobility operator and is widely considered to be the leading British e-scooter and bike sharing company for local authorities.

Zwings strives to help millions of people to reimagine the way they travel in cities, towns and on campuses. Through the use of safety focussed vehicles and technology, Zwings is paving the way in Britain to bring sustainable, convenient and innovative transport to communities across the UK. We have maintained a very low incident in all of our city operations due to our hyper focus on rider education and rule enforcement.

We welcome you to get in touch with us if you are interested in a micromobilty service for your community.

www.zwings.co.uk Community@zwings.co.uk 020 3882 0611

@Zwingsmobility

@Zwingsmobility

@ZwingsmobilityUK

@Zwings

From car-club to full mobility solution phasing out petrol cars in favour of petrol electric hybrids and are migrating even more of our fleet over to full EVs. We are also innovating with new ways of delivering EVs – such as in Dundee where EVs do not need a full time charger and fixed bay but operate in a geofenced zone using top ups from rapid chargers.

There are exciting times ahead for Co Wheels, as we announce new offers and innovations for our business customer we will be announcing them on our LinkedIn page – so why not follow us.

For further information check out our new website below.

Co Wheels is changing – you may have noticed our new branding on our vehicles, our website and social media – but it is an even bigger change for us.

Our rebranding marks the start of us moving on from just being a car club to a full featured mobility solution provider.

Initially you will notice our fresh new branding and our totally new website. But over the coming year you will see more improvements to our booking system and mobile app as we make improvements in response to customer requests.

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We will also be expanding our fleet offer to businesses who want to cut their CO2 output on business mileage as well as still providing competitive on street PAYG solutions for smaller businesses and private users looking to replace owning a car.

It is our intention to offer a broader range of mobility services and collaborations to make it even easier to give up owning a car and using different forms of mobility instead.

And even though we already have one of the greenest mixed fuel car share fleets in the UK, we are already

DRIVING THE SWITCH TO CLEANER FLEETS | www.greenfleet.net

FURTHER INFORMATION www.co-wheels.org.uk/corporate info@co-wheels.org.uk tel 0191 375 1050

Changing the ‘grey fleet’ mindset With local authorities under scrutiny over their participation in national net zero ambitions, and many under financial pressure, the use of grey fleet is no longer practical or sensible. But how can it be tackled? James Lancaster, chair of the Urban Mobility Partnership, shares his views Solutions to tackle grey fleet almost no justification for this, but it does There are solutions to address grey fleet and act as a further incentive for employees to alternatives to the use of these vehicles. use their own vehicle for business travel.

Now is an opportune moment to effectively In this regard, there needs to be a address business travel practice. We have change in mindset and an establishment of had a year where, for many public sector environmental concerns as a priority for local organisations, business travel will have authorities. There must be a move away from been limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic. the mentality where the use of grey fleet is Whilst the rapid change in many working effectively used as a salary bump, cultures, leading to increased working as this only serves to make from home and the widespread senior management and Unless use of video conferencing, will staff reluctant to move we bro have undoubtedly changed to more sustainable incentiv adly many business practices and cost-effective for the long term, there modes of travel. transpo ise shared r will inevitably always be Environmental t s olu there is some need for business concerns should be a real ri tions, travel, particularly at the forefront of sk that people will retu in public services. public sector minds t o using rn With the successful and addressing owned privately vaccination programme, grey fleet should vehicles there is a sense amongst be no different. everyone that we will begin to Analysis conducted return to our normal lives and this by the Urban Mobility will inevitably include business travel.

Partnership found that across Therefore, this is the moment for public 400 councils in Great Britain over sector bodies to take a real lead on moving to 200 million miles were conducted using sustainable transport solutions and ensuring grey fleet vehicles. Some local authorities that there is not a return to grey fleet conducting more than 10 million miles usage. Public sector bodies can offer a clear using grey fleet vehicles. Given that some example to the wider population that it is of this data covers the introduction of safe to return to public and shared transport working from home as a result of Covidand there needs to be clear messages from 19,this is a staggeringly high number of national government in this regard. If we miles to have been conducted by some of allow people to return to relying on private E the most polluting vehicles on the road.

Issue 133 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

Written by James Lancaster, Chair of the Urban Mobility Partnership

Grey fleet vehicles have been widely used in the public sector for a long time. The policy of allowing employees to use their own privately owned vehicles for business travel and be reimbursed for the miles they drive has been seen as simple and convenient by organisations of all sizes. However, with local authorities under scrutiny over supporting national net zero ambitions and many under financial pressure, the use of grey fleet is no longer practical or sensible. Unfortunately, the use of grey fleet has become part and parcel of public sector bodies’ business practice and is rarely addressed or seen as a major issue.

With privately owned vehicles on UK roads having an average age of 8.5 years, the use of grey fleet flies in the face of national and local policy objectives to decarbonise transport. Given that a number of areas across the UK are having to implement clean air zones due to poor air quality, it is remarkable that the public sector continues to incentivise the use of some of the most polluting forms of transport. Yet there are reasons behind this. The way mileage reimbursement works, it is often the case that the use of a privately owned vehicle for business travel is not just due for convenience but also a financial incentive for many employees. Despite the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP) system stating that employees should be reimbursed up to 45p per mile for grey fleet usage, many public sector bodies have been found to pay even more than the suggested rate. There is

Public Sector Special

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Imperial College London, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Brompton Bike Hire have partnered to launch a mobility hub at Imperial’s South Kensington campus. This is part of a four-month academic trial that will assess whether staff travel can be transformed by giving people more choices for sustainable and active transport.

Public Sector Special

Mobility hub to assess greener staff travel

The hub will feature two Enterprise Car Club vehicles, one electric and one hydrogen powered, plus 25 Brompton folding bikes, including five electric bikes.

Staff who register for the trial will receive free membership of the Enterprise Car Club and both cars and bikes will be booked through Enterprise’s Car Club app. Access to the cars and bikes will be free for the duration of the pilot.

The hub will enable academic research to see how commuting patterns and day-to-day travel can be changed from relying on owning the means of transport to using shared transport.

Surveys will be carried out to identify changes in travel behaviour and attitudes towards the use of shared resources. The research team aims to build on the study’s conclusion with further research into the future of urban mobility.

Analysis conducted by the Urban Mobility Partnership found that across 400 councils in Great Britain over 200 million miles were conducted using grey fleet vehicles  car use for business travel, it will inevitably entrench these behaviours and will become even more challenging to address. As a result, we will fail to improve air quality across the UK and reach wider policy objectives.

With new administrations after the local and combined authority elections, grey fleet reduction should be a key part of clean air and transport plans of all local and combined authorities, and they should work with all public sector bodies within their area to ensure they are also seeking to tackle grey fleet. Public sector bodies need to work with operators to develop solutions which make use of all types of shared and public transport including public transport, bike hire and bike share and daily rental and car club schemes.

It has been shown that utilising just one of these types of solutions can have a significant impact on carbon emissions. A partnership between Enterprise Car Club and Highlands

Council to move away from grey fleet use had a dramatic impact on the council’s carbon emissions. Emissions through grey fleet use were estimated to exceed 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and, given that the council was unable to provide specific data on the types of vehicles used for business travel, the true levels of emissions could have been much higher. The change in practice to using new cleaner and more efficient Enterprise Car Club vehicles for necessary business travel led to a reduction of more than 825,000 in miles conducted by council employees. The carbon footprint from business travel was also reduced by approximately 377 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This represents a reduction in the council’s environmental impact of 19 per cent.

Getting all stakeholders onboard This dramatic change in policy and its subsequent environmental benefits

demonstrates that it is possible to find alternatives to grey fleet in any situation.

But in order to achieve this, it is vital that there is a commitment to do so from all stakeholders and collaboration between operators and public sector bodies. Beyond addressing the emissions produced by grey fleet travel, changing business travel policies and ensuring employees make use of shared and public transport will ultimately have an impact on the way employees commute to and from work and may in turn change the way they move around in their own time.

As we come out of Covid-19, there is a real opportunity to change the way we move around as a society. The pandemic has seen positive trends, such as the uptake of active travel, but unless we broadly incentivise shared transport solutions, there is a real risk that people will return to using privately owned vehicles. Addressing grey fleet policies is a fundamental starting point for the public sector to demonstrate leadership in reducing emissions and supporting net zero ambitions. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.ump.org.uk

Issue 133 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE

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For an initial, no obligation and free consultation with a member of our award winning 0Zone team, we would be delighted to hear from you.