As fleet professionals, we tend to think of our vehicles as transportation devices, mobile tools and — in our connected world — data sources. We do, however, need to evolve our view of vehicles, visualizing them as energy users. Energy Information Administration (EIA) states: “Only about 12 to 30 percent of the energy from the fuel you put in a conventional vehicle is used to move it down the road, depending on the drive cycle. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies or used to power accessories. Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous” (see fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv.shtml for details). If your fleet is like most, a large part of your operating budget may be focused on fuel (and energy consumption). Large vocational trucks, by nature, can consume tremendous amounts of energy — both in transit and on the worksite. As with any commodity, energy comes with a price tag, and to lower this expense, there are two available options: use less energy and/or reduce the cost of energy consumed.
This story originally ran in Landscape Business. View the full article here.
