Vans are required to meet fleet average emissions targets of 153.9g/km as of 2025, falling further to 90.6g/km by 2030. These aims form part of a wider drive towards a zero-emission future. As environmental standards tighten year on year, the need to reduce fleet emissions becomes increasingly urgent.
To support you on this journey, we’ve put together a guide outlining various strategies to help you build a lower-emission fleet.
What are Eco-Friendly Fleets?
An eco-friendly fleet - also called a green or sustainable fleet - is a collection of vehicles which is managed with a strong focus on reducing environmental impact and thereby supporting broader sustainability efforts.
This involves adopting cleaner practices and technologies at every stage of the fleet’s lifecycle, from choosing low-emission vehicles and maintaining them efficiently, to cutting fuel consumption and encouraging responsible driving habits.
How to Reduce Your Fleet’s Carbon Footprint
Fleet managers today juggle numerous responsibilities, often under mounting pressure. Yet, reducing a fleet’s carbon footprint doesn’t have to add to the workload. In fact, it can actually ease long-term operational strain. Here’s how you can start:
Carry out regular maintenance
Regular vehicle maintenance is key to keeping emissions in check. Instead of waiting for faults to arise, fleet managers should take a preventative approach whereby they monitor vehicle health consistently to make sure each vehicle always runs at peak efficiency.
Take tyre pressure, for instance: properly inflated tyres can dramatically improve fuel efficiency. Fitting vehicles with a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) helps with carrying out predictive tyre maintenance, alerting drivers and managers as soon as adjustments are needed in order to guarantee optimal condition.
Educate drivers
Even the most sustainable fleet will fall short of its potential if drivers don’t adopt environmentally conscious driving behaviour. Aggressive habits such as sudden acceleration and harsh braking can substantially increase fuel usage and CO2 emissions.
To combat this, provide training in fuel-efficient driving techniques, typically referred to as eco-driving. By creating a culture of responsible driving, fleets can significantly decrease fuel consumption. Immediate in-cab feedback devices can also be highly effective, giving drivers instant prompts to correct inefficient habits as they happen.
Embrace electrification
When it comes to reducing fleet emissions, electrification remains a central solution. Electric vehicles (EVs) produce zero emissions, making them a crucial step towards greener transport. Additionally, transitioning to EVs early will prove useful in complying with future regulations, while also giving fleets a competitive edge.
That said, EVs aren’t a one-size-fits-all fix. Fleet managers must assess whether electric vehicles align with operational requirements, including range capabilities, load capacities, and access to reliable charging infrastructure. Still, benefits such as exemption from LEZ charges make EVs a compelling option.
Use fleet management software
Fleet management software is fundamental for boosting efficiency and cutting emissions. By delivering real-time insights into vehicle performance, driver behaviour, and cost control, it enables managers to make data-driven improvements across the fleet.
When it comes to route planning, factors like speed, distance, traffic, and weather conditions all play an important part. With the right software, managers can dynamically change routes based on live data, lessening unnecessary mileage, minimising idling, and lowering overall fleet CO2 emissions.
Set CO2 emissions targets
Beyond updating a fleet’s composition, setting defined fleet CO2 emissions targets is integral to driving ongoing progress. Goals might focus on achieving percentage reductions in either total or average carbon emissions over a set period.
Regular monitoring is essential, allowing managers to track performance and benchmark their fleet’s emissions against industry standards or similar operations. Offering incentives to high-performing drivers or teams can also encourage greater commitment to meeting, and exceeding, these targets.
How MICHELIN Can Help You Reduce Fleet Emissions
Building a low-emission fleet is a gradual process, not an overnight transformation. There’s no need to implement every strategy at once; steady, informed steps will drive meaningful, lasting results.
At MICHELIN Connected Fleet, we recognise that every fleet has its own unique challenges and aims. It’s for this reason why our fleet management solutions are designed to be flexible, adapting to your specific requirements.
Whether you’re ready for electrification or want to explore alternative paths to sustainability, our consultative approach will help you identify the technologies and strategies best suited to your operations. If you’re interested in reducing fleet carbon emissions, then be sure to make an enquiry into our services today.
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