GreenFleet

The inaugural European Greenfleet® Awards, which took place at the HUSA President Park Hotel in Brussels on June 5th, recognised private and public sector organisations that have made efforts to reduce the environmental impact of motoring across Europe.

Located in the heart of Brussels during European Green Week, the awards ceremony was presented by Malcolm Harbour, MEP - UK West Midlands Region and Ms. Alenka Burja from the Ministry of the Environment & Spatial Planning, Slovenia. 12 awards  were presented in categories such as Car Manufacturer of the Year, LCV and LGV Manufacturer of the Year, European Public and Private Sector Fleets of the Year, Industry Innovation and Outstanding Achievement.

Industry continues to find innovative and technically challenging ways to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. At the recent UN climate change summit, the EU welcomed agreement to launch formal negotiations on a global climate regime for post-2012. PSE chairman David Devoto stated: "The evidence of Climate Change is everywhere. Fuel costs are rocketing, making every aspect of our lives more costly. Who now doubts the need for progress? We urgently need innovation in technology, and we need alternatives to the way we do things today. This message must be heard by all the peoples of the European Union."

The series of GreenFleet® Events highlight the way that fleet drivers can cut down on CO2 and reduce the environmental impact of their fleet operations. Organised by PSE, the UK GreenFleet events include the Arrive 'n' Drive, Capital Arrive 'n' Drive and Fuel Challenge, and the UK GreenFleet Awards, which is to be held at Twickenham on 25th September.

The 2009 European GreenFleet Awards will be held on 25th June. Entry will be open from October this year.

Download the 2008 European GreenFleet Awards event handbook here

European Car Manufacturer of the Year

Commended: Ford Motor Europe, Saab Automobile AB, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Fiat

European LCV Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: Aixam Mega
Particularly suited to use in the city, Aixam's Multitruck offering provides a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution in many diverse applications, and for many businesses. Available in Diesel and Electric versions, its potential to make a real difference to transport emissions in cities throughout Europe is huge.

Commended: PSA Peugeot-Citroen
Mercedes-Benz

European LGV Manufacturer of the Year

Winner: Volvo Trucks
Over the years, Volvo Trucks has achieved a number of pioneering breakthroughs, and is leading the way in bringing cleaner technology to market. Its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its trucks are made up of several initiatives, including a hybrid concept which can accelerate under electric power alone, enabling lower fuel consumption, lower emissions and lower noise levels.

Commended: Scania, DAF

European Private Sector Fleet of the Year

Winner: Deutsche Post Group, Germany
Deutsche Post operates 6,500 dedicated parcel delivery vehicles with integrated box bodies that carry up to 40% more compared to standard vans. It has adopted a corporate green logistics programme aiming at reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020. This includes trials with hybrid vehicles for letter mail transport, and with advanced regenerative fuels such as biomass-to-liquid (BtL) or biogas.

Commended: Saubermacher Services AG – Austria
Whizzgo – UK
Greater London Hire – UK
Rumeni Taxi – Slovenia
Clear Channel – UK

European Private Sector Innovation

Winner: ARGE MR Pflanzenöl OÖ, Austria
Based in Upper Austria, ARGE MR Pflanzenöl OÖ is a collective of seven oil mills and some 1800 regional farmers that produce rapeseed crops with which to manufacture biodiesel. Every mill is run as a business concern, giving the population an opportunity to produce a crop which can be grown on areas that would otherwise remain fallow.  This creates additional income for farmers, and helps to build a circular economy.

HypoVereinsbank AG – Germany
Green Tomato Cars – UK
Saubermacher Services AG – Austria

European Public Sector Fleet of the Year

Winner: London Borough of Islington - UK
The council's entire diesel fleet has been running on UK sourced bio-diesel for nearly two years, and it is currently piloting a scheme using pure plant oils straight from the source on four buses and two refuse vehicles. Its expanding electric fleet of scooters and cars is powered by renewable energy using  photovoltaic cells and wind turbines to ensure carbon neutrality. Islington’s transport planners have implemented award winning cycle schemes and bus lanes to improve public transport within the borough.

Commended: Government Car & Despatch Agency – UK
TUSSAM – Spain
Stockholm Public Transport – Sweden
Metropolitan Institute of Taxis – Spain
Ayuntamiento de Burgos - Spain
Ayuntamiento de Miranda de Ebro - Spain
Islington BC - UK

European Public Sector Innovation

Winner: City of Stockholm, Sweden
To decrease emissions and noise, the City of Stockholm initiated the Clean Vehicles project, with the objective of reaching a market breakthrough for cleaner vehicles. This encouraged involvement from the whole chain -  fuel providers, vehicle manufacturers and end-users. After 10 years, the project has yielded impressive results.

Graz Public Transport (GVB) – Austria
Westminster City Council - UK
London Borough of Bromley - UK
City of Stockholm - Sweden
EMUASA – Murcia - Spain

European Fleet Manager of the Year - Private Sector

Winner: Zoe Powers, Greater London Hire
Zoe Powers of Greater London Hire advocates a multi-stranded approach to environmental management. A thorough assessment of emissions has enabled the company to reduce them by a staggering 22%.

Commended: Kevin Webb – Business Post – UK
Jose Luis Haro – Transportes Barkijo - Spain

European Fleet Manager of the Year – Public Sector

Winner: Chris Rutherford - London Borough Islington
The local authority has the  first 'stop start technology' buses on order from Mercedes and has used a proportion of its climate change fund to implement the retro-fitting of these systems, as well hybrid technology, into its van fleet.

Commended: Ben Davis – GCDA – UK
Don Miguel A Martin Lopez – Spain
Carlos Arizaga de Pablo Blanco - Spain

European Leasing/Rental Company of the Year

Winner: Elektracar, Spain
To alleviate the problems of noise, pollution and driver aggression that the coast suffers during the summer months, this years winner has demonstrated that it is possible to move around the island with clean, quiet vehicles which bring a calming effect to traffic.

Commended: Lease Plan – GreenPlan – Netherlands
ING Car Lease – Netherlands/UK
Lease Drive Velo - UK

Industry Innovation Award

Winner: CityCargo, Netherlands
Amsterdam's inner city has narrow, traffic-laden canals and streets which can make deliveries difficult. After the introduction of strict regulations on air quality, goods transport is restricted to between 7.00am and 11.00am, which leads to further traffic problems. CityCargo has developed a concept for zero emission cargo distribution using the existing tram infrastructure to replace inefficient trucks by trams and electrically operated vehicles.

Commended: GreenRoad Safety Centre – UK
Elektromotive – UK
Michelin – France/UK
Oxonica – UK
GE Capital – Netherlands
Lysanda – UK
Blooming Futures - UK

Outstanding Achievement Award

Winner: Gilles Michel, Citroen
Gilles Michel has been Executive Vice President of Automobiles Citroën for PSA Peugeot Citroen since February 2007 and also serves as its Chief Executive Officer of Automobiles Citroën. In 2004, as Executive Vice President, Platforms, Technical Affairs and Purchasing, he was responsible for overseeing the introduction of stop and start technology, which cuts out the engine when the car stops and then starts when the accelerator pedal is pressed. Tests have shown this can cut fuel consumption in urban driving by up to 15%.