17Fleet optimisation

General initiatives to improve the efficiency of fleet vehicles and reduce emissions include:

• Understand vehicle usage. Understanding fuel consumption and kilometers travelled by different business units and vehicles will help Council prioritise actions that will have the biggest gains in efficiency.
• Reduce the need to drive. Promote the use of video and teleconferencing over in-person meetings. Operation of business practices during the COVID-19 pandemic will have demonstrated the ability to conduct business virtually. Promote the use of bicycles (or electric bicycles) for shorter trips.
• Downsize the fleet where feasible. Every car in the fleet has an associated cost of ownership (i.e., registration, maintenance, insurance). Any opportunity to consolidate the number of vehicles will therefore reduce the overall costs of operating the fleet. Downsizing can occur through removing underutilised vehicles or reducing vehicle size to ensure they are fit-for-purpose.
• Improve the efficiency of trips: Consider options to lighten the load carried by the commercial vehicles (e.g., tool sheds at strategic locations) and trip optimisation (e.g. planning work to minimise travel between sites).
• Use the lowest emission fit-for-purpose vehicle available. Many low emission and electric vehicle alternatives are now available on the market with long ranges, cargo and towing capacity, and payloads rivalling those of ICE vehicles.
• Ensure environmentally conscious driving. Eco-driver training educates drivers on efficient driving practices. Training programs are available for light and heavy vehicles as well as machinery. Organisations which have completed such training have achieved significant emissions and cost reductions as a result. For example, participating councils in the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action and South East Councils Climate Change Alliance eco-driver program achieved a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and expenditure.

For more information and guidance, see the Electric Vehicle Council’s Local Government Resource Pack (2020).