How to reduce CO2 emissions from cars
Sustainability has become one of the most pressing concerns globally. Individuals are more aware of how their actions impact the environment. Organizations are increasing their focus on sustainable business. They want to play their role in climate action, but they are also aware of incoming legislation and reporting requirements. For fleet companies, one of the biggest questions is: how can we reduce CO2 emissions from cars? At Greater Than, we use artificial intelligence (AI) to help organizations meet their sustainability objectives.
Why does sustainability and ESG matter to organizations?
In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets. The SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries, and fulfilling them requires effort from everyone. Industry and business size is irrelevant – all companies can contribute to the SDGs by acting responsibly.
Since 2015, we have seen a steady increase in the focus on sustainability, at a global level. Already, there are mandatory reporting requirements on sustainable practices and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters for some organizations. There are also multiple new ESG initiatives, proposals and regulations being introduced across the world. Greater Than’s recent Sustainability eGuide includes a useful summary.
It’s about “doing the right thing” for the planet
In addition to the many ESG and sustainability regulations and reporting standards – existing and incoming – simply “doing the right thing” matters. Individuals are much more aware of the environment and keen to find new ways to reduce their climate impact.
For businesses, this is a valuable opportunity. Demonstrating their eco-credentials and showing they are leading the way for climate action is a great way for organizations to engage and inspire customers. For companies that employ or use drivers for work purposes, highlighting the extent to which driver attitude affects the environment is a powerful way to make a difference.
Driving risk management is a key factor in reaching sustainability goals
Close to a quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation. Therefore, when thinking about how they can reduce climate impact, transport is a crucial consideration for organizations.
There are many steps organizations can take to reduce CO2 emissions from cars. Obvious steps include reducing trips (where possible), considering vehicle type and size, and route optimization. But the impact of driving attitude has a huge influence on climate impact. And all it takes to start identifying and managing driver climate impact is GPS data.
A climate impact score is game-changing in ESG and sustainability management
Greater Than’s Climate Impact Score enables organizations to easily identify the eco credentials of drivers, regardless of geography, vehicle type, or fuel type. It uses AI to analyze GPS data and measure CO2 savings (grams or %) as a result of driver attitude. It can even measure EV battery savings to demonstrate the impact of driver attitude on EV battery consumption.
For fleets, gaining new insight into climate impact enables the quick and easy identification of drivers in need of eco-training. It also supports sustainability efforts and strengthens ESG reporting. By quantifying climate impact, fleets are empowered to help drivers see their own impact on the environment and ultimately reduce energy consumption by an average of 20%. Most importantly, measuring climate impact enables organizations to be transparent; this is a key consideration in sustainability and ESG management.
What type of driving can reduce CO2 emissions from cars?
Many drivers don’t yet know how to drive in an eco-friendly way, or simply don’t realize the impact that their attitude has on the environment. Yet, a large percentage of drivers will change their attitude if they can clearly see their negative impact, what is causing the negative impact and how they can change it.
Some examples of a negative driving attitude that influences climate impact include: “chasing the next traffic light” by accelerating and braking harshly; relying too heavily on cruise control on inappropriate roads; mind wandering and lack of focus causing unnecessary accelerations; and leaving an unsafe following distance. These are just a few examples to demonstrate how improving driving attitude helps to reduce CO2 emissions from cars.
Getting started with measuring driver climate impact is easy
Using AI, Greater Than converts GPS data into a Climate Impact Score. All that’s needed to get started is a simple API connection.
Once a company connects to our platform, our AI processes and analyzes every trip against billions of previous real-world trips. This identifies patterns in driving behavior and provides insight into climate impact. The analyzed data can be pushed to a company’s existing fleet management system, a driver app, SDK or visualized via one of Greater Than’s add-on solutions.
Are you ready to learn more about fleet sustainability and ESG management? Contact Greater Than or book a meeting to discover how our AI can help your organization reduce CO2 emissions from cars.
