Fleet profile
into CO2 emissions and fuel usage,” explains Vale. “By analyzing this data, we can support our drivers to adopt better driving practices.” If a driver poses a threat within the fleet, it’s Vale’s job to express concern and ensure the driver isn’t a risk moving forward through relevant training and an honest conversation. Vale explains that as a fleet manager, she must be aware of these crucial factors such as speeding, fuel consumption, accident management, and potential risks. “Harsh driving behaviour is a key indicator of driver error, so to support drivers and prevent future incidents, we take a proactive approach by communicating with them and encouraging them to adopt better driving habits. This approach has improved fuel efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, and other significant benefits while triggering people’s mindsets to behave differently,” says Vale.
Goal #2: Environmental efficiencies The drive for businesses, governments, and individuals to transition to a greener, cleaner world has never been stronger.
As a power provider, Vale says that Aggreko focuses on its sustainability to minimise greenhouse gas emissions from its operations. The company also helps customers to incorporate energy storage and renewables and invest in sustainable infrastructure. Aggreko has a working group consisting of several different departments, one of which includes reducing CO2. Vale explains that this not only focuses on the car fleet but also travel overall and the commercial fleet.
In her department, Vale is exploring various strategies to optimise fuel usage and minimize costs, including using alternative fuels and more efficient vehicles.
Its UK car fleet of 90 cars is 90 per cent alternatively fuelled, and Vale is looking to increase that to 95 per cent next year with its next set of vehicle lease renewals. Vale and the wider Aggreko team has chosen to include Polestars, Teslas, Mercedes, and Audi vehicles in the car fleet. This decision is rooted in Vale’s commitment to ensuring that all vehicles are suitable for their intended purposes and dependable. The preference for premium brands is a reflection of this. “There has been a big push for environmentally friendly vehicles, and we have carried out a lot of work and research on our car mix, making sure it is suitable for the roles of our drivers,” says Vale.
She also explains the fleet’s leasing provider is an integral part of its operations, and her department maintains a close working relationship with them. “Additionally, to cater to the increased demand and to facilitate our expansion efforts over the past few years, we have utilised rental companies and other support services, which have proved beneficial;”
These relationships proved helpful during the pandemic, and the fleet saw a great amount of support from its leasing provider and suppliers. Vale says, “We’re very loyal to those suppliers who supported us through Covid-19.”
She exudes a hopeful sense of confidence that
the automotive industry is bouncing back from the supply chain disruptions caused by Covid. While acknowledging that the pandemic has severely affected lead times, resulting in vehicle supply issues, model discontinuation, and order holds, she believes that the worst is behind us. Vale says, “Vehicle availability is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels, which is good. I believe we’re coming out of the other end of the storm.”
Vale reports that the fleet drivers have responded positively to the transition to electric vehicles, despite relying on older vehicles while waiting for the supply chain to stabilise. “We recently received a shipment of EVs, which drivers were very satisfied with,” says Vale.
While Vale’s primary focus was to ensure that the electric vehicles were suitable for their job and well-received by the drivers, there
were some initial concerns regarding the range. However, she affirms that these challenges were overcome through some planning and determination of the drivers.
“Those issues can be avoided at the start of the process through expressing our expectations to our drivers,” notes Vale. “We ask questions such as ‘Do you have charging facilities available at your home? Where are you going regarding our sites, and do they have charging facilities? Will you be organised enough to ensure you will pass chargers when you need them?’”
More often than not, Vale explains that the drivers plan their trips and return satisfied with the range of their vehicles, “but emergencies happen, so we take a balanced view and support our people whenever we can.” Aggreko has taken steps to assist its employees by installing chargers at several
Above: Aggreko is a global supplier of mobile and modular power, temperature control equipment.
90%
Aggreko’s UK car fleet of 90 cars is currently 90 per cent alternatively fuelled.
www.businesscar.co.uk | June 2023 | 21
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