green

November 12th, 2010
Jackson Parker

Develop a Green Fleet Sustainability Program with Alt Fuel Vehicles

At the Green Fleet Conference 2010 in San Diego last month, David Meisel, Transportation Services Director for PG&E, gave an excellent presentation on Introducing Alternate Fuel Vehicles Into Your Fleet. PG & E is the largest fleet operating in California and one of the largest fleets in the U.S.

Meisel said, “Pacific Gas and Electric Company believes in environmental leadership from an energy, supply chain and green fleet perspective. Greening the fleet makes good business sense – from both an environmental and economic standpoint. Without question, we have a unified front in terms of our commitment to environmental leadership and greening our fleet. Our chairman is actively engaged on issues associated with climate change and we’re supportive of GHG legislation both on the national and international fronts. We’ve also supported California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard and state policies that address climate change, petroleum reduction, and emissions reductions.”

When it comes to choosing the right green fleet mix – one size does not fit all. Different fleets require different solutions. Developing a green supply chain program with an embedded green fleet strategy is challenging but “worth it” because of the cost savings and environmental benefits.

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November 6th, 2010
Aurielle Destiche

Green Fleet 2010 Conference A Success – Presentations Now Online

Green Fleet Conference 2010 in San Diego, CA was a huge success — with record breaking attendance! The conference sessions were standing room only, the exhibit hall was buzzing with energy. Green Fleet Conference attendees really enjoyed taking out the alternative fuel vehicles for a spin at The Ride & Drive event. If you missed this year, I highly recommend you attend Green Fleet Conference 2011 next year.

Mayor Jerry Sanders showed his support of environmental sustainability by delivering opening remarks before the Environmental Leadership Awards and 100 Best Green Fleet Awards Ceremony.

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October 18th, 2010
Jackson Parker

Nearly Half of Fleets Measuring Emissions

Green Fleet Survey 2010 by PHH Arval shows the number of fleets measuring emissions has significantly increased over the past two years. The 2010 Green Survey by PHH Arval revealed that 49 percent of participants are reporting that they are measuring emissions. In 2008, the first year the questions was included in the PHH Arval Survey, only 28 percent responded that they measure emissions. Despite the challenging economy, fleets are clearly making progress towards “greening” their business operations. Additionally, according the Survey, 68 percent of responders said they have an environmental goal for their fleets, which is up slightly from last year’s results.

Nearly 65 percent of the fleets who reported that they are actively measuring emissions are doing so with actual fuel use data . This is an increase of more than 10-percentage points over 2009. Using actual fuel data provides fleets the most accurate data and accounts for variations in driver behavior (and hence fuel economy) and mileage.

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September 22nd, 2010
Jackson Parker

How to Be a Better, Safer, Greener Driver

Regardless of what type of vehicle you drive, there are several ways that you can cut your gas costs while also becoming a better, safer driver. It’s no secret that fuel efficiency and the chances of you getting in an accident or a speeding ticket is dictated by the way you drive. Changing your driving behavior can greatly reduce your carbon footprint, keep you safe while behind the wheel, and even yield large savings in gas costs over the course of a year.

Drive Smart. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Don’t Speed. While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

“Pulse and Glide” is simply a style of driving that allows you to obtain a desired speed while using less fuel and emitting less pollution. Say for instance the desired speed you wish to maintain is 60 miles per hour. Instead of controlling the gas pedal to maintain 60-65 miles per hour, slowly accelerate to 70 miles per hour (pulse) and then release the gas pedal and allow the vehicles inertia to coast the vehicle down to 55-60 miles per hour (glide). Repeat this over and over throughout your drive. Doing this allows you to carry an average speed of 60 to 65 miles per hour but much by using the “Pulse and Glide” technique, you have greatly increased your efficiency instead of driving along maintaining a steady 60-65 miles per hour.

The key to this technique is in the “Glide”. While the “Pulse” does use slightly more fuel then maintaining a desired speed, the “Glide” uses only a fraction of fuel needed to average out to the desired speed. Metrompg.com tested this driving technique with a Toyota Prius and was successful at obtaining a whopping 109.3 miles per gallon average! That is a 54.7 percent increase in miles per gallon over the Toyota’s listed miles per gallon average of 49.5 miles per gallon!

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