KEY POINTS:
Some green initiatives involve significant spending on new processes or high-tech gadgets to limit pollution or reduce energy consumption. Not so an initiative taken by roading contractor Fulton Hogan in the Bay of Plenty.
The company is trying to change its vehicle operators' driving habits in a bid to prune its fuel bill, prolong engine life and reduce exhaust emissions.
If the Smart Drive programme takes off, there are big potential benefits, says Fulton Hogan Bay of Plenty quality and environment adviser Hendrik Metz.
"It's a simple concept and the prize is potentially very large," Metz says. "With rising fuel costs, that prize keeps on getting bigger."
Fulton Hogan, which has been in existence since Jules Fulton and Bob Hogan started the company in Dunedin 75 years ago, uses about 1.2 million litres of fuel a month. That represents about 15 per cent of operating costs - and rising - for a firm whose revenue is $1 billion a year.
When efficient vehicle operation can reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent, tens of millions of dollars are at stake. And when idling for an hour causes engine wear equivalent to 190km of highway driving, switching engines off can cut maintenance requirements.
The challenge is getting those facts through to drivers and coming up with ways to get drivers to apply them.
It's commonly thought idling a diesel engine is kinder than turning it off and on. But for a warm engine that's not the case and it only needs to idle for longer than 30 seconds to burn more fuel than is used by switching it off and on again.
What's more, when idling, engine damage can result from the build-up of unused fuel residue caused by low-temperature running.
There's also a widespread belief that heavy diesel engines need prolonged warming up. But Fulton Hogan is telling its drivers that three minutes is long enough for heavy vehicles and 30 seconds for light vehicles, and that gentle driving is the best warm-up method.
The company is also encouraging drivers to adopt a driving style that maximises fuel economy by planning routes, ensuring vehicle tyre pressures are correct, using engine braking wherever possible, driving smoothly and maximising loads to limit trips.
Fulton Hogan sustainability manager Michael LeRoy-Dyson says although detailed results from Smart Drive aren't yet available, the programme is promising enough to be rolled out further, with input from the Ministry of Transport and Land Transport New Zealand
"The opportunity for us is to take what we have learned from the [Bay of Plenty] pilot, and what's new around the world, fine tune it and see whether we can do this on a national basis."
It could then serve as a model for other vehicle fleet operators.
"We're more than happy to share our experiences with others."
Sustainability fits with the Fulton Hogan culture, LeRoy-Dyson says.
"We are interested in sustainability for a number of reasons. We plan to be around for a long time and it's hard to do that without focusing on sustainability."
