Bachelor Thesis 2016
Establishing an Eco-efficient Car Fleet Policy
Student: Tanaka Mandy Mbavarira Supervisor: Dr. Claas Wagner Expert: Dr. William Gizzi Industry partner: Sulzer AG
In the new global economy, minimizing the environmental impact of corporations has become a central issue that is being integrated into business practices. In an effort to reduce the energy demand and emissions of Sulzer’s car fleets the aim was to ascertain whether cost savings are achievable with emission savings from vehicles running on cleaner fuels and advanced technology. The alternatives selected emit 100g CO2/km or less and were found to yield carbon emission savings between 9 tons and 20 tons over three to five years with average savings ranging between CHF 10,000 and CHF 13,000 per vehicle. Using a tool to rank the alternative vehicles against each other based on their savings and costs revealed the importance of internal combustion engines of improved efficiency at present but also the increasing role hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are set to play between 2020 and 2025 where technological efficiency advancements are anticipated to be made at lower
costs. Key performance indicators form a strategy of how the emissions can be reduced up until 2025. Recommendations point to the importance of leasing vehicles predominantly based on their environmental performance with increasing fuel efficiency in order to meet the future key performance indicators, the need to keep records of costs and emission reductions for better management, and external factors to be aware of that can potentially favour hybrid or electric vehicles in the coming years.