Van Cost & Carbon Calculator predicts savings through low-carbon vehicles

Cenex – the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies – has released its new online tool, the Van Cost & Carbon Calculator, or VC3.

The VC3 computes the economic and environmental performance of diesel, electric, gas and stop-start van technologies. It enables fleet decision-makers to assess the feasibility of incorporating new low carbon vans into their fleets.

“By providing a realistic whole-life cost, the VC3 de-risks the implementation of low carbon fleet solutions,” said Steve Carroll, technical specialist at Cenex. “The tool is based on real-world driving cycles, meaning it predicts real-world fuel consumption. This level of accuracy is something you can’t get elsewhere,” he added.

The VC3 tool was developed by Cenex with funding from the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP). It allows users to specify van size, driving habits, annual mileage, and ownership period, and then provides a cost and carbon emission comparison of the low carbon van options relative to a diesel van. Within the VC3 users will also find an introduction to the different low carbon van technologies, including the main operational considerations that may affect a vehicle’s suitability for the user’s operation.

Once users have identified the technologies that can offer lower costs and better environmental performance, the tool provides links to further information, allowing them to find out about vehicle and refuelling equipment availability.

“The VC3 is powered by the Cenex Fleet Carbon Reduction Tool, a vehicle performance simulation that allows the VC3 to provide accurate fuel consumption results from a range of user-defined driving habits,” noted Carroll. “It’s one of the few free-to-access, online tools for fleet decision-makers to calculate cost savings through carbon reduction.”