Green Your Fleet

The easiest way to green your fleet is to find ways to reduce the need for travel and limit the miles you put on your vehicles. The following strategies will help:

• Use webinar and conference software for meetings.
• Encourage employees to carpool to meetings when possible.
• Ensure all travel is absolutely necessary before approving it.

Purchase the Right Vehicle for the Job

One of the simplest ways to green your fleet is to ensure you have properly sized vehicles for your agency’s operational needs. When ordering a new vehicle, look at its duty cycle and choose the smallest and most efficient vehicle to get the job done. For example, for local travel, choose a plug-in hybrid sedan or a mid-sized pickup over a full-sized vehicle.

Use the Correct-Sized Vehicle for the Job

Another simple way to green your fleet is to ensure that employees are using the correct-sized vehicle for the job. For example, use a sedan to drive to a meeting, not a van or a pick-up. Many agencies use a reservation system that asks what the employee plans to use the vehicle for and assigns vehicles accordingly. By ensuring that you use the most efficient vehicle for the job you will save money and fuel. For example, an employee going on a 100-mile trip driving a 50-MPG hybrid sedan will use 3 fewer gallons of fuel than if they took a 20-MPG SUV. The savings can add up!

Procure Fuel Efficient and Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)

• New York State Vehicle Marketplace: New York State is committed to increasing the number of ZEVs in the state’s fleets to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. ZEVs and other fuel-efficient vehicles are available on the New York Vehicle Marketplace, a centralized contract managed by the Office of General Services. Any eligible user (agencies, authorities, local governments, school districts and other eligible non-profits) is able to use the marketplace to solicit a ZEV or fuel-efficient vehicle - be sure to specify that you want a ZEV in your mini-bid request!

Green your fleet by ensuring it is operating as efficiently as possible. Consider using a fleet management system that tracks vehicle usage, mileage, and maintenance to make sure that your vehicles aren't traveling more miles than necessary on trips and are getting the expected fuel economy. In addition, a telematics system can be added to your fleet to track how the vehicles are driven and allow you to see if driver habits are using more fuel than necessary.

• Fuel-Efficient and Electric Vehicles: A GreenNY tip sheet about the many benefits of purchasing or leasing fuel-efficient vehicles, how to choose the right vehicle, and the procurement options for ensuring the best pricing. 
• FuelEconomy.gov EV Resources: Information about the types of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles on the market. 
• ChargeNY: General information on electric vehicles in New York State, including case studies from facilities managers who have installed electric vehicles charging station. 
• Charge Ready NY: Offers rebates for putting in employee charging stations to help increase the adoption of electric vehicles in New York State. 
• International ZEV Alliance: New York State belongs to the international ZEV alliance. Learn more about its activities to promote ZEVs worldwide.