‘Greening of the fleet’ reported by The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor recently reported that corporate America is finally starting to look at environmental issues in respect of the nation’s vehicle fleets. Millions of cars are owned or leased by companies for their travelling representatives, executives and technicians in the US. These vehicles are now seen as a prime target for reducing greenhouse gases and of course their ‘greening’ will produce substantial savings on fuel costs.

Such a movement in corporate thinking is quite new but must be welcomed as a great step forward in a positive effort to reduce the effects of global warming.

The large pharmaceutical company Abbott has already converted twenty percent of its fleet to more fuel efficient ‘greener’ vehicles. When the company analysed their carbon footprint they found that as much as four and a half percent of the company’s emissions in the US were caused by their fleet of some six and a half thousand vehicles.

The National Association of Fleet Administrators held an Expo last month in Houston for managers of corporate fleets. This was well attended and the managers were waiting in line to test drive hybrid vehicles and cars that run on alternative fuels.

The Hertz rental car company has already committed itself to the purchase of over three thousand hybrid vehicles to add to its fleet. An investment of some $68million.

Corporate vehicles are heavily used as are lease and hire cars that cover very high mileages so any reduction in emissions from them must be a welcome step in the fight against global warming.

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