In a bid to reduce CO2 emissions and encourage fleets to improve their efficiency, telematics solutions provider Masternaut has launched a new CO2 certification scheme.

Verified by the Energy Saving Trust, the programme aims to allow its fleet customers to understand and reduce their emissions. The certification scheme awards three levels – gold, silver and bronze.

To achieve gold – best-in-class status – operators must achieve either a 5% improvement on industry benchmarks (based on fleets of a similar makeup), or show a 5% reduction in emissions, compared to their own year-on-year figures.

Currently, Masternaut customers save 230,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, simply by using telematics software to create more efficient fleets.

The programme, which is available for free to all of the 10,000 clients who use Masternaut’s technology, has calculated year-on-year improvements in emissions performance, as well as comparing actual MPG against the expected performance from 2017 make and model benchmarks.

Fuel and distance data is pulled directly from the vehicle via Masternaut's patented CAN clip technology.

The Masternaut Fleet CO2 Certification Programme helps customers reduce their fuel use, by offering fleet managers a benchmark to operate against, both based on their own performance and that of other similar fleets.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate those firms who are achieving the top levels of emission reduction and encourage continued improvement.

This is supported by Masternaut’s in-cab coach device which provides coaching directly to drivers in the vehicle, and provides feedback to fleet managers on driving styles, to plan training for safety and reduced fuel consumption purposes.

Fleets who achieve CO2 Certification will receive a communication pack including stickers, which can be displayed on their fleet vehicles as well as digital banners and a press kit enabling these companies to promote their achievements both internally and externally.

As well as offering fleets the opportunity to understand the impact of their entire operation, the data revealed some other interesting results. For instance, the hybrid electric Yaris has one of the most consistently high fuel economies of any vehicle, with even the worst 10% of journeys achieving 53 mpg.

Mike Hemming, head of Masternaut’s data analytics team Catalytix, said: “Vehicle emissions are a significant contributor to both climate change and local air quality levels, and responsible fleet operators have a huge role to play in reducing their contribution to the issue. This becomes ever more important as emissions targets are stepped up across the EU, to reduce greenhouse emissions by 80% by 2050.

“Data is a really powerful weapon in tackling emissions at a fleet level, because it provides absolute clarity on where the high-risk areas and opportunities to reduce lie. The good news nowadays is that we also have the tools to analyse and understand that data, turning it into actionable insights, and this is exactly what the programme has been designed to address.

“We have already analysed and certified 1,600 of our fleet customers and will be working with all of our customers over the coming months to support them in understanding and improving their emissions further.”

David Butler, asset planning and engineering support manager at ISS UK, said: “ISS Technical Services has been working with Masternaut since 2016.

“We are very proud to have been awarded the Gold standard for Carbon Certification as a best-in-class emissions operator. This award will help us to achieve our specific target to reduce all vehicle carbon emissions by 20% (normalised by turnover) by 2022.

“Masternaut’s market leading technology platform has not only helped us to achieve a minimum 5% reduction in our Carbon Footprint, but it has also helped us achieve a 10% increase in our average MPG per vehicle and a 50% improvement in logged driver behaviour data.”

Dave Bonehill, head of fleet and plant at Ringway Jacobs, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded silver under Masternaut’s new CO2 certification.

“Reducing the impact we as a business have on the environment is a critical concern, and technology is allowing us to measure this more accurately than ever before.

“Our aim now is to achieve gold status, and we’ll be working hard over the coming months to do so.”

The Energy Saving Trust has conducted a limited assurance verification of Masternaut’s Fleet CO2 Certification methodology and can give assurance on its accuracy as a measurement of CO2 improvement.

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