Green mobility

From page 2 and how they drive it…Charging infrastructure is a limiting factor for adoption, but I feel education is needed to help drivers understand how to use their cars more efficiently and effectively and to give drivers the confidence to adopt EVs. “An EV’s climate benefit is only as clean as the grid charging it. However, the benefit of operating in South Africa is that there is load- shedding and therefore a lot of solar installations,” said O’Connor. Thipe explained that when it came to rental operators creating a better availability of EVs and PHEVs in their fleets, operators had to take into consideration EVs’ high depreciation rates, vehicle utilisation, rapid recharging turnaround and the operating environment, such as the availability and reliability of public charging availability and reliability, vehicle range, route planning and grid capacity. Measuring impact Understanding the real environmental impact of green cars requires providers and users to look beyond zero tailpipe emissions. Emissions metrics such as Carbon Dioxode Equivalent (CO2e) per kilometre, give clients more meaningful indications of environmental impact. Some rental companies such as Avis also offer corporate clients verified emissions data to support carbon reporting, and include the emissions associated with daily vehicle rentals on customer invoices. Thipe said Avis was exploring enhanced reporting for green rentals, which would allow customers to quantify emissions reductions achieved by comparing EVs and hybrids with equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles. “For fleet operators and corporate travel clients this type of data can reveal how mobility choices can turn into measurable contributions towards broader sustainability goals. “Mobility providers, travel advisers, corporate travel managers, vehicle manufacturers, infrastructure providers and travellers all have a role to play in turning sustainability ambitions into practical choices,” said Thipe