The aim of the project is to report on the extent to which utilities are on the decarbonisation journey of their vehicle fleets
Key outputs include:
-Report on the present-day composition of utility fleet vehicles (mixture of electricity and gas network operators).
-Report on vehicle decarbonisation challenges, needs, global logistic trends and options for on-road and off-road vehicles.
-Create a roadmap, including a gap analysis and assessment of intervention options to support utility fleet decarbonisationbetween now and 2050.
-Roadmap will show what vehicles should be decarbonised and the optimum time to decarbonise them. Decarbonisation optionse.g. electric vehicles vs hydrogen vehicles and cost estimates will also be investigated in order to identify least cost options thatmeet fleet requirements.
Benefits
Non-financial benefits
Direct Benefits
Financial- Informing financial planning
Delivery mechanism: Delivery mechanism: Incorporate identified quick wins and low-regret options and decision points and timelines into financial planning. Consider predicted cost implications in financial planning.
Health & Safety - Informing decision making / wider impact assessment
Delivery mechanism: Include miles travelled in key output parameters evaluate wider impact and consider in decision making.
Environmental - Informing decision making
Delivery mechanism: Include emissions in key output parameters and consider quantified emission reduction in decision making.
Customers - Supporting evidence
Delivery mechanism: Roadmap and report provide supporting evidence and rationale justifying decisions on decarbonisation.
Community - Informing decision making
Delivery mechanism: Include parameters representing air and/or noise pollution in key output parameters and consider in decision making.
Carbon Reduction - Informing decision making
Delivery mechanism: Include carbon emission in key output parameters and consider quantified carbon reduction in decision making.
Indirect Benefits
Financial- Reduction in fuel costs associated with fleet operations
Delivery mechanism: Incorporate identified quick wins and low-regret options and decision points and timelines into financial planning. Consider predicted cost implications in financial planning.
Health & Safety - Reduction in travel related injuries
Delivery mechanism: Include miles travelled in key output parameters evaluate wider impact and consider in decision making.
Environmental - Emission reduction
Delivery mechanism: Include emissions in key output parameters and consider quantified emission reduction in decision making.
Customers - Air quality improvement
Delivery mechanism: Roadmap and report provide supporting evidence and rationale justifying decisions on decarbonisation.
Community – Air & noise quality improvement
Delivery mechanism: Include parameters representing air and/or noise pollution in key output parameters and consider in decision making.
Carbon Reduction - Supporting utilities to fulfil their commitments on fleet emission reduction
Delivery mechanism: Include carbon emission in key output parameters and consider quantified carbon reduction in decision making.
Learnings
Outcomes
Although most of the objectives and success criteria were met, they were only achieved at a minimal level. The report did not produce enough detail to inform the utilities in future planning and investment decisions as expected. Potentially, other industries might be able to make use of the report, but it is out with the scope of this project to determine. No significant learning outcome was created that was not already available in the public domain. However, potentially for policy makers, the report does provide a good overview of the issues impacting decarbonisation of transport, as well as potential solutions. If targeted at the right audience, the reports created from this project could inform and educate.
There were two key outputs:
1) Roadmap: This contains a high-level view on timelines for the United Kingdom to decarbonise transport.
2) Gap analysis: This contains a high-level view on how the United Kingdom can decarbonise transport.
Both reports are available upon request.
Lessons Learnt
There was a clear difference in what the contractors wanted to achieve as part of the project and what the utilities wanted to achieve. In this case, Utilities wanted a Roadmap that was detailed enough to assist in future planning and investment activities. The contractors wanted a high-level general Roadmap. This project should have had more hold points to ensure stakeholders were satisfied with the scope, prior to the project starting. The project deliverables should have been clearly defined and agreed upon at the beginning of the project with all partners signing off i.e. more time should have been spent on the project output goals at the start of the project.
