Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan wants to do both, boost their bottom line by saving on fuel costs and also reducing emissions by utilizing cleaner burning cars – “We were looking at two main things when it came to switching to alternative fuel vehicles.”

It should be noted that the Buncombe patrol cars travel an average of  25,000 miles per year per vehicle, and the fleet is using more than 17,000 gallons of propane autogas annually. Fleets in western North Carolina are supported by the Asheville-based Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition.

It’s great news to learn about alternative fuels such as propane saving on fuel costs and lowering greenhouse emissions. I would add that vehicle fleet managers who are considering alternative fuels should also consider adding a fleet tracking system to go even further in their fuel saving efforts. Those systems provide additional operational cost reductions by managing driver behavior such as idling and speeding, a known factor in reducing fuel costs.

The Energy Saving Trust-backed study explores the potential savings available to 20 organisations in the UK. It’s finding show that while the pure electric vehicles are very attractive for regular and predictable trips averaging 100 miles a day, installing charging points on premises significantly boosts the range these cars can travel.

For longer trips, however, the report argues that plug-in hybrids offer the better alternative, since they offer very good fuel savings without the distance range restrictions of electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrids may also be more cost-effective than all-electric cars where trips less frequent and used for a variety of  of roles, allowing companies to reduce the overall number of vehicles in their fleet.

Whether you decide on electric or hybrid, your fleet will more than ever require more optimized route management to ensure your vehicles don’t run out of charge! Fleet tracking systems allow you to monitor your fleet real-time and will allow you to view your vehicles on the map and alert you when they our close to reaching their range maximum.

Source: http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2238726/electrifying-fleets-could-cut-company-fuel-costs-by-75-per-cent

Image source: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/uciliawang/files/2012/01/PGE-eREV.jpg

Today’s vehicles are increasingly able to sense their internal systems as well as the outside world through a mesh of sensors, cameras, GPS systems and various other technologies. The next logical step is the evolution into the ability to communicate with the world around through the reality posed by vehicle connectivity.

Connected cars today are configured with GPS tracking and communication systems that allow them to communicate with you and other systems.  This connectivity allows for much more than simply making a mobile call or browsing the Web, but when combined with  vehicle automation, connected vehicle technology promises to bring us truly autonomous cars. The driver can disengage and the car’s automated and connected technologies can intelligently, safely, and efficiently take the wheel. Google’s self-driving car is a big step in that direction!

But that’s just the first step. Other possibilities include reduced congestion and considerable fuel and emission reductions. For example, Safe Road Trains for the Environment  the three-year project of Volvo in Europe demonstrated the ability to “platoon” vehicles on an open highway. A lead truck plus three cars — all equipped with cameras, GPS tracking systems, sensors, wireless technology — traveled at speeds of 60 mph, often only 13 feet apart from one another, all while the platoon reaped the fuel efficiencies of reduced drag and the drivers sat back and relaxed, hands free.

When we consider the implications for energy efficiency, fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and vehicle miles traveled, we can begin gleaming all sorts of possible whole-system efficiencies that might be achieved if we take the best of vehicle automation and merge it with the best of connected vehicle technology. Such technologies can not only make us safer, but  they can also benefit people and the planet.

Source: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/01/23/self-driving-vehicles-unlock-efficiency-possibilities?page=0%2C1

There is an increase in carriers planning to acquire 11% to 25% of their tractor fleets, 60% of the smaller carriers and 45% of larger carriers indicated they were going to replace under 10% of their tractor fleets.

This means that the smaller carriers will be relying on existing fleet assets, but will need to contend with higher maintenance costs have an increased risk of poor CSA road inspections. Overwhelming new orders have

been for replacements, particularly with increased maintenance costs and breakdowns experienced with post-2007 EPA engines by carriers.

With rates remaining stable, costs going up, and an inclination to not add capacity, it’s not surprising that over half of the carriers surveyed report they are not getting an adequate rate of return to invest in newer, more expensive equipment.

With the added uncertainty of fuel prices, based on historical volatility, it is even more understandable why these carriers are unwilling to make additional investments in new equipment. One way that they might reduce some of the risk and uncertainty is to implement a GPS Tracking system that would provide fleet management with alerts for upcoming maintenance requirements to be more proactive about the care of their fleet. Additionally, a GPS tracking system would provide them with fuel saving reports and allow them to better manage drivers’ behavior that could also add to fuel savings.

Source:

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=79132

Image Source: http://mypremiumcarwash.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/fleet-trucks-stock-photo500.266184336_std.jpg

100 percent of the used oil from the UAE’s McDonalds restaurants is turned back into biofuel, through biodiesel producer Neutral Fuels.

The UAE, however, is not the only country McDonalds is operating the system in. Their vehicles in the UK receive 100 percent of their fuel from recycled cooking oil-based biodiesel. In Europe as a whole, 80 percent of the company’s waste oil is turned into biodiesel, and 37 percent of the total fleet is run on the fuel.

Even in the U.S, 75 percent of eligible restaurants recycle their cooking oil, contributing an average of 1,450 gallons of used oil every year.

But, you ask yourself, what can I do if I don’t have access to recycled cooking oil for my fleet of vehicles and I still want to both have a greener fleet and save on fuel costs? You can install a GPS Tracking system, like FieldLogix, which has been shown to save up to 40% on your fuel costs!

Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081785_mcdonalds-trucks-travel-greener-on-recycled-frier-oil

Image Source: http://www.constructionweekonline.com/pictures/McDonalds-truck.gif

In a 2010 study by Volk and colleagues, “the links between air pollution and autism risk were virtually unchanged after accounting for parents’ race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and smoking status, as well as for the area’s population density.”

If your company is concerned and would like to reduce its pollution output, install a green GPS tracking system. A green GPS tracking system routes fastest paths, reports idling times, and monitors drivers’ behaviors. Combining mapping with better driving reduces emissions.

To read the full autism research story, visit: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/28/1243581/autism-research-pollutio

As part of the effort to reduce their fleet’s environmental impact, fleet managers are focusing on improving driving behavior as a crucial way to reduce emissions. 74% of fleet managers said they are including their drivers in the decision to set and reach environmental goals in an effort to increase driver awareness and buy-in.

42% of fleet managers reported that the initial cost was a barrier to greening their fleet. Many fleet managers, however, have reported cost savings and reduced emissions after having installed a GPS tracking system.

To learn how a green GPS tracking system can save you money and reduce your fleet vehicles’ emissions, contact us.

Photo: www.google.com/imgres

According to Green Fleet Magazine, “In 2002, the City’s baseline for its fleet’s GHG emissions was 11,251 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). In 2010, the City had reduced its metric tons of CO2e to 9,039. For 2020, its new target is 8,039 metric tons of CO2e. In addition to emissions, the City reduced its fleet’s fuel consumption by more than 140,000 gallons of gasoline and more than 35,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Its gasoline consumption fell from 698,575 gallons to 558,097, and its diesel usage dropped from 420,913 gallons to 383,774.”

To achieve the 2020 reduction goal, the City also plans to optimize pickup routes for trash and recycling vehicles’ and to set-up “zones” to reduce travel from site to site so some City service vehicles could be shared inter-departmentally.

Installing a GPS tracking system into all the City’s fleet vehicles could facilitate these two plans. To help reach the 2020 lower emissions goal even faster, the City could also implement an anti-idling campaign. How? By choosing a green GPS tracking system, which also monitors and reports when drivers idle for long periods, CO2e can further be reduced.

To read the full Green Fleet Magazine article, visit www.greenfleetmagazine.com/news/51354/city-of-syracuse-plans-for-10-percent-reduction-in-fuel-and-emissions.

Photo: www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources.html

Tim Paulus, owner and president of The Ford Store Morgan Hill dealership bought a 2013 Prius v, enabling its customers to test drive and compare the two Makes’ models. He says, “not a single customer prefers the Prius v over the C-MAX hybrids.”

As an Official Car of the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Association (CES) in January, it will be prominent throughout the show. “C-MAX is made for CES, especially when you consider the amount of advanced hybrid technology it delivers,” said Dave Mondragon, Ford Motor Company general marketing manager. “From SmartGauge and MyKey to the hybrid transmission and strong fuel economy, C-MAX belongs in the same conversation as the other technologies at CES.”

The new Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and C-MAX Hybrid offer SmartGauge® with EcoGuide technology. The SmartGauge® is a “unique instrument cluster that gives hybrid owners a more connected driving experience by coaching them to further maximize the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.” In addition to touting an estimated EPA of “up to 108 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway and 100 MPGe combined,” teaching drivers to drive better, more efficiently will also help reduce carbon emissions and fuel expenses.

If you are interested in improving driver behavior, reducing fuel expenses, but unable to replace all your current fleet vehicles with the new Ford C-MAX hybrid or C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, how about trying a green GPS tracking system? A green GPS tracking system may be a more affordable solution. Offering all the mapping, dispatching, and navigation benefits of a fleet GPS tracking system, a green GPS tracking solution also monitors and reports driver behaviors. Combining the both better navigation with better driving can help your company save money.

Source: www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2012/12/13/ford-c-max-hybrids-outsell-toyota-prius-plug-in-and-prius-v-named-official-car-for-2013-international-ces; Photo: www.trbimg.com/img-50a44a16/turbine/la-la-fi-ford-cmax01.jpg-20121114/600

Having more than 3,000 vehicles in its North American fleet, Carrier has been able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing a variety of strategies, one of which was monitoring driving patterns using a green GPS tracking solution.

As Carrier found, incorporating a green GPS tracking solution, like that offered by FieldLogix, provides data that helped increase their fleet’s fuel efficiency by nearly 7%.

The GPS tracking system also improved dispatching and customer service. In emergencies, service technicians are deployed faster because their exact location is communicated to dispatching in real-time. Therefore, dispatchers can quickly select a fleet vehicle nearest the customer, then send an updated route to the driver.

Greening Carrier’s fleet is part of its environmentally sound business practices.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/How-Cool-is-This-Carrier-Corp-prnews-3593751403.html?x=0&.v=1; Picture: http://truckgps.org/green-gps-systems-eco-friendly-truckers