A website to help fleet managers compare and calculate the air pollution and CO2 emissions from different vehicles and specific journeys has been launched.

Travelfootprint compares and calculates the life-cycle (tail-pipe and upstream) emission impact of vehicles, fuel and journeys with three distinctive tools:

  • a journey emission tool
  • a vehicle emission tool
  • a fleet emission audit tool

The fleet emission audit tool enables fleet operators to calculate the CO2 emissions associated with their fleet over a specific period of time.

Users will be able to save and print the information with easy to understand graphics available, as well as other useful links.

The website is the brainchild of the London Borough of Camden, which also commissioned an independent report into the life-cycle of vehicle fuels, focussing on biofuels.

“The purpose of the report was to guide the council’s transport and vehicle procurement policies with regards to transport biofuels,” said Gloria Esposito, air quality policy officer at the council.

“The life-cycle air pollution emission impact of different biofuels is not commonly considered and there clearly appeared to be a lack of update and informative data available,”

Climate change mitigation is at the forefront of the national environmental agenda, but Camden also wanted to consider air quality issues.

“The health impact of transport emissions is still concerning, in particular the respiratory and cardiovascular impact of fine particles,” she said.

“Certain biofuels have been shown to be beneficial in terms of carbon savings, but unfortunately produce increased air pollution emissions.”

The report and website – www.travelfootprint.org – has helped shape the council’s understanding of which biofuels deliver the lowest environmental impact and will guide its vehicle procurement plan over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the London borough is also launching a portable hydrogen fuel cell generator with Croydon Council.

Funded by Transport for London, the project has been developed in partnership with the Vehicle Operating Standards Agency (VOSA), the London Hydrogen Partnership and Air Products.

The equipment will be used to power roadside vehicle emission testing equipment with the aim of raising awareness of issues surrounding air quality and pollutants.

To view the London Borough of Camden report into the life-cycle of vehicle fuels, focussing on biofuels click here.

Or copy and paste the following address into your browser window:

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/files/BiofuelsLCARreportFINALv7.pdf