Clean Fleet: Silver, gold or platinum for an environmentally friendly vehicle fleet

Police, ambulance services, tradesmen or delivery services: many public and private companies maintain a more or less large fleet of vehicles. At some point, these vehicles will be replaced by new ones. And in the future, these should be vehicles that do not emit CO2. This is where the Clean Fleet program comes in, which is supported by EnergieSchweiz, the program of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy for energy efficiency. Energeiaplus explains how Clean Fleet works and what the incentive should be.

With a defined reduction path for the purchase of new vehicles (passenger cars and vans up to 3.5 tons), the Clean Fleet program aims to motivate businesses to reduce their CO2 emissions. The companies can commit to three different options within the next five years and receive the Clean Fleet silver, gold or platinum award.

Silver Path: Achieve 0 grams of CO2 emissions in 2034
Gold Path: Achieves 0 degrees of CO2 emissions in 2033
Platinum Path: A Clean Fleet Platinum fleet is already carbon neutral in 2030.

The reduction path is based on the Federal Council's net zero target. If this target is to be achieved, no more fossil-fuel vehicles may be on the road by the middle of the century. Swiss passenger cars are in use for an average of 14 years. Therefore, the reference path ends at zero CO2 emissions (for new cars) in 2036.

Online survey:

What does it take to make the vehicle fleet of companies and municipalities more environmentally friendly? Clean Fleet is conducting an online survey to find out what the current situation is in terms of green vehicle fleets, how far along their efforts are, and what companies need to make the switch. Click here to access the online survey

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Central to this program is an online tool. Based on the vehicle master number, it can be used to record new vehicle purchases and calculate average CO2 emissions. In this way, the company can compare its annual CO2 value with the selected reduction path.

Kurt Egli is the managing director of Clean Fleet. Energeiaplus asked him why a company should participate in this program What are the concrete benefits?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS), i.e. corporate responsibility in the area of sustainable development, is becoming increasingly important for companies. By participating in Clean Fleet, fleet operators can credibly communicate their commitment to corporate mobility both internally and externally. In addition, aligning the vehicle fleet with the Clean Fleet System also helps to optimize operating costs.

But is this silver, gold, or platinum award enough to motivate companies?

Clean Fleet conducted a feasibility study in cooperation with SwissEnergy and then carried out a pilot project. This showed that companies are interested in a standardized system that shows the progress of fleet transformation. In addition, partners in the public sector as well as companies would like to see Clean Fleet developed further. The program is designed to be "open". This means that new content, such as including the entire fleet in addition to the new car fleet, can be implemented according to desired priorities.

Who is targeted by this program?

The program is aimed at all fleet owners who operate passenger and/or light delivery vehicles up to 3.5 tons. There is no minimum fleet size.

Many companies and also the public sector are already converting their fleets. Delivery services are using electric vans, as is the postal service. Why is the program still needed?

The conversion to more climate and environmentally friendly fleets has begun. But the pace of the necessary change should be faster if we are to meet the Paris climate target on time. Unfortunately, many fleet operators are still hesitant to make the reorientation when purchasing vehicles. Clean Fleet is helping with this transformation with advice and the Silver, Gold and Platinum awards program.

Can a program like Clean Fleet prevent this hesitation on the part of fleet operators?

Hardly prevent it. But we are finding that many companies in the SME segment want to tackle the issue. However, they don't really know how and where to start first. Questioning established processes is not easy, or it even meets with resistance within the company. There is often a lack of knowledge about the average CO2 value, for example, because vehicles are purchased according to usage criteria and environmental aspects are of secondary importance.

Clean Fleet can provide low-threshold help in overcoming these initial hurdles. A consultation then shows whether and which CO2 reduction path is achievable for the company and can be set as a goal.

Clean Fleet is in the process of acquiring public authorities in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein as partners. What role can these partners play?

The cantons and cities run a variety of climate consulting programs for SMEs. Our goal is to work with them to offer a uniform system for fleet management throughout Switzerland.

Clean Fleet takes CO2 emissions into account in its reduction path, but not the life cycle assessments of vehicle and fuel production. Why is that?

The transformation of the mobility sector towards climate friendliness is challenging and, as mentioned, far from on track in terms of deadlines. Therefore, it is important to start with a simple system that does not have (too) high entry barriers for fleet operators. The Clean Fleet system is open - expansion is possible at any time. In addition to CO2 emissions, Clean Fleet already takes into account the aspect of power quality. If possible, electric vehicles should charge certified green electricity according to naturemade star quality.

Interview: Brigitte Mader, Communications, Swiss Federal Office of Energy