Richmond has become the only municipality in Canada to receive a platinum rating for its sustainable vehicle fleet management.
The E3 Fleet program assists fleets such as trucking, utility and courier to improve sustainability and rates organizations based on fleet performance. The city of Richmond received a performance score of 98 points out of 100 and snagged the Platinum status for the second time since 2016.
The city's Green Fleet Action Plan aims to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions and encourage zero carbon transportation. Some of its initiatives include:
- implementing better tracking and analysis of fleet data, including fuel use;
- “right-sizing” the fleet in all vehicle classes (light, medium and heavy duty) by choosing more efficient vehicles better suited to the task required;
- training staff on fuel management and fuel-efficient driving practices, and implementing an idle reduction program; and
- adopting Circular Economy criteria in all acquisitions.
Richmond has also installed EV Fast Chargers and level two chargers throughout the city for both its fleet and community members, in addition to retrofitting vehicles with solar panels, using alternative fuels where possible and supporting and using car-sharing services.
“An E3 Fleet Platinum Rating is the highest mark of achievement for fleet management in Canada,” said Roger Smith, senior consultant for Fleet Challenge Canada, which manages the E3 Fleet Program.
“The city of Richmond has again shown exceptional leadership by earning this rating and raising the bar even higher in scoring than before with this achievement, thanks to an unwavering commitment to making its entire fleet cleaner and more efficient.”
The city's Fleet Operations Department maintains over 600 vehicles and specialized pieces of equipment that serve over 230,500 residents and a geographic area of 129 square kilometres.
