Openreach has won its way to the finals of the GreenFleet Capital Fuel Challenge, taking place later this month, where it will be competing for the Transport for London Fleet of the Year Award.

Five other finalists will be competing in the private sector of the awards, for which Openreach qualified with the help of its ground-breaking new electric van.

Stuart Gair of Smith Electric Vehicles (left) looks on as Simon Tory, Senior Fleet Innovation and Vehicle Design Manager, Openreach, gets in the driving seat of one of the new vans.

The prototype van, which has been undergoing operational feasibility trials in York and London, took part in an earlier round of the Challenge which involved completing a 33-mile course across London in the quickest time, while producing the smallest amount of carbon dioxide and offering the greatest fuel economy.

“Participants had to plan the most efficient route to four checkpoints spread throughout the capital,” explained Simon Tory, Openreach Chief Engineers unit’s Senior Fleet Innovation and Vehicle design manager.

“We purposely chose the shortest route, even though we knew it would be the most congested. That meant we lost points on time, but we gained a lot more on low fuel usage. That was because, unlike conventional petrol or diesel vehicles, the electric van used no fuel at all when we were stationary in traffic.

“We came second only to an electric scooter in our class − that was what won us our place in the finals of the Capital Fuel Challenge.”

The prototype electric vehicle is a Ford Transit box van in Openreach livery from which the engine and gearbox have been removed and replaced with an electric motor that runs on batteries that can be recharged at the end of each working day.

It was built by Smith Electric Vehicles and is the first of their vans to run on lithium ion batteries, which are lighter and more compact than their predecessors, and which do not intrude into the van’s load space.

“All-electric vans are just one of a number of potential ways forward for the Openreach fleet,” says Simon. “They are actually only one part of a much broader environmental programme − and that’s what I shall be concentrating on when I make my presentation to the judges at the Finals.”

Simon’s presentation, which has to be timed at no less than five minutes and no more than seven minutes in order not to lose points, will centre on how Openreach communicates with its people; cost effectiveness; partnerships with other aspects of the environmental programme (of which the electric van is just one); innovation; and results that are expected in the future.

“The Chief Engineers Unit’s current environmental programme includes road speed limiters on all new vehicles; introducing new, lighter and more efficient vehicle types; and modified racking systems to reduce the weight of vehicles,” says Simon. “We have also introduced a set of top ten driving tips to help our drivers minimise their environmental impact.

“For cars, we have introduced efficiency ratings, giving people the opportunity to choose more economical vehicles; launched a training video on how to improve vehicle maintenance for optimum level vehicle efficiency; introduced Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) training for drivers; and set up a robust fuel reporting programme across the whole Openreach fleet.

“We are also looking at how hybrid vehicles might fit in and investigating the impact of bio-diesel on our fleet operations.

“The new electric van is certainly an important part of the Openreach environment programme, but we have a lot more to talk about than just that.”

The Fleet of the Year finals take place at Twickenham Rugby Stadium on 25th September 2008. Sixty per cent of marks will be based on the participants’ presentation, 20 per cent on fuel challenge results and a further 20 per cent awarded by interactive voting by official delegates and sponsors.