RECODRIVE
Rewarding and Recognition Schemes for Energy Conserving Driving,
Vehicle Procurement, and Maintenance
West Norway
PROJECT TEAM & PARTNERS
- Western Norway Research Institute (Norwegian partner, coordinators in Norway)
- Bergen Municipality (Demonstrator)
- Bergen Inter-Municipal Renovation Company (Demonstrator)
- Bergen Inter-Municipal Power Company (Demonstrator)
CONTRACT VALUE
1, 600, 000 NOK
(about 180,000 €)
FUNDING
EU funding
TIMESCALE
3 Years (2007-2010)
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Recodrive is taking up existing Ecodriving initiatives and merging it with good fleet management and logistics optimization practice to push fuel saving in fleets beyond 10%. Commercial (i.e. freight and utilities) and captive (i.e. public transport) fleets will act as demonstrators and show cases for high mileage and/or high specific consumption fleets. The fuel savings will be achieved by introducing recognition and rewarding schemes, aimed at motivating employees to work for keeping fuel consumption at a low level over time. Using the results from fleet owners who achieved good results it is hoped that other fleet owners will be persuaded to follow, including service fleets using individual cars.
In Norway, the demonstrations are taking place both inside and in the vicinity of the city of Bergen. Three companies have already made their commitments, and are about to start the demonstration period. The first is Bergen City Municipality (Bergen Kommune). With a population of 245.000, Bergen is Norway's second largest city and the capital of Western Norway. This first demonstration is intended to be carried out in connection with vehicles owned by Bergen Kommune, which will consist of small and medium size cars and trucks.
The second demonstrator is intended to be carried out by the Municipal power company BKK. BKK is the leading power company in Western Norway and one of Norway's largest companies in the production, wholesaling and transmission of electrical power (www.bkk.no).
The third demonstrator is the transport division of Bergen Inter-municipal Renovation Company (BIR). BIR is a waste handling company with approx 100 employees and both private and public customers in the municipalities of Bergen, Askøy, Fusa, Kvam, Os, Osterøy, Samnanger, Sund, and Vaksdal. In this case, the demonstrator will focus on actions connected to the waste handling trucks.
Being in the middle of the project period, the outcome so far is having mobilized local companies into reducing their fuel consumption. This has contributed into strengthening the focus on the potential for economizing fuel consumption. Gaining experiences from this project, the companies may not only save the environment and money, but also share their experiences with other local companies.
PROJECT TARGETS & LEGISLATION
The target of reducing the fuel consumption by at least 10% is not achieved yet, but it should be put into consideration that the demonstration period is only about to begin.
However, an important first target has been to increase the awareness of the potential to save fuel, and implement measures for doing so at the local level. In our opinion this target has been achieved, by having mobilised three large local fleet owners. Fuel consumption is now on the agenda in these three companies, with a potential spill over effect on other companies.
This project also touches upon legislation on privacy protection. It includes for example the monitoring of fuel consumption in vehicles, something which may be traceable to the actions of individual drivers or maintenance workers. Such issues have had to be clarified by the demonstrators before implementing the measures. The latter must also be done in cooperation with worker unions in order for it to work.
CHALLENGES FACED
The main barrier has been the implementation of a rewarding and recognition scheme. In some European countries, e.g. Austria and Greece, monetary rewards are seen as appropriate and efficient. When implementing the project in Norway, however, a different strategy is deemed appropriate. In Norway, companies strongly emphasize the need to treat all workers equally when it comes to salaries and bonuses. Therefore, collective non-monetary types of rewarding schemes will be employed in order to reward workers participating in the project.
The experiences related with implementing a rewarding and recognition scheme in Norway gives valuable insight in human and cultural factors that play a central role when implementing environmental measures in a company. The project illustrates that there are differences between countries regarding what schemes are considered to be legitimate and efficient. It then goes on to gain insight regarding these human factors, and may therefore contribute in making it easier to implement environmental measures within companies in the future.
INNOVATIVE PRACTICE
The innovative feature of the RECODRIVE project is the use of rewarding and recognition schemes in order to reduce fuel consumption. This makes the project stand out compared to Ecodriving and other projects of fuel saving. Often, such projects have an effect only for a limited period of time. In the Norwegian bus company Tide, for example, a larger number of drivers have been trained in fuel-efficient driving. According to the company this gave outstanding results for a few weeks, but later on the drivers went back to their old habits and increased their fuel consumption again.
By using a rewarding and recognition scheme, the aim is to give workers an incentive for keeping up their good habits. In this way, working for a low consumption of fuel may in the end become an integrated part of the company's culture.
LESSONS LEARNT & APPLICABILITY IN OTHER SITUATIONS
The most important lesson learnt so far is that human factors and cultural differences between countries must be taken into account when implementing an environmental project across several European countries.
Additionally, having the technical know-how is not enough; one must also have an understanding of how this must be presented to companies and workers.
Consequently, the project has increased the knowledge on some country-specific features that may contribute in making future projects more successful.
CONTACT DETAILS
Dr. Otto Andersen, Western Norway Research Institute.
E-mail: oan@vestforsk.no
