PHH Study Reveals Cost Barrier for Fleet Emission Reductions

A recent study of public and private sector fleet managers about the environment reveals that cost continues to be a barrier to reducing fleet carbon emissions. Forty-four percent of respondents said cost was a barrier, and 54 percent said it was the top challenge in “greening” their fleets. However, 24 percent report they have found cost savings as they reduce emissions.

The annual green survey (registration required) conducted by PHH Arval, a subsidiary of PHH Corp., gauges fleet managers’ insights into environmental issues and solutions regarding their company vehicles and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Another key finding shows that 21 percent of the respondents said that economic conditions had accelerated their fleet environmental goals, while only 9 percent said the economy slowed their efforts.

The study also indicates that interest in environmental issues remains strong and the perception of “green” vehicles is changing. Seventy-four percent of respondents reported they had been asked about the environmental impact of their fleets in the last year, and 100 percent of respondents who identified “fleet management” as their full time job said they had been asked about the environmental impact of the fleet.

This year, the survey included new questions to determine how widespread certain perceptions are of “green” vehicles. The findings: 82 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement, “Fuel efficient vehicles are less safe.” And 56 percent disagreed with the statement, “Fuel efficient vehicles are less attractive to our drivers and executives.”

The PHH GreenFleet program, developed in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund, recently added telematics data to the PHH Onboard service to help companies cut their emissions.