The Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation scheme is one in a series of greening initiatives which aims to minimise the impact that buildings, car journeys, and energy consumption have on the environment. Its objective is to reduce emissions from public sector premises by 75% by 2037, compared to a 2017 baseline detailed in the 2021 Net Zero and Heat and Buildings strategies. According to a recent study, while central government departments have made progress in reducing their direct emissions over the past decade, these premises are still responsible for an estimated 2% of the UK’s total carbon emissions and therefore remain prime targets for decarbonisation.

Powever, another key area that has a more pressing deadline for decarbonisation is the central car fleet, which must transition to zero emissions by 2027. With a large section of the workforce carrying out roles that involve travelling between locations as part of their jobs, this is going to present more challenges than just the cost implications of buying new vehicles. Aside from the expense of purchasing electric vehicles (EVs), their provision will need to be coordinated with a significant expansion in the network of charging points.

All local authority staff who use fleet vehicles, whether on a daily basis or occasionally, are going to require easy access to charging points. This network will need to extend across cities, towns, and rural areas to accommodate a countrywide workforce.

Ensuring access to charging points

Currently, most people do not have fast charging points at home and the cost of installing them for all car fleet users would be prohibitive. Also, installation may not be practical or possible for many employees including those that live in rented accommodation, or in flats, and houses without garages or driveways.

Given that charging vehicles overnight at home is not going to be feasible, most mobile workers will have to get to and from charging points at the beginning and end of their working day. If they use petrol or diesel transport to do this, it’s going to be counter-productive as the reduction in carbon emissions from using EVs will be offset by the journeys to drop them off. It will also add extra commuting time to each day, potentially upsetting family routines and leisure activities.

The driving range of the vehicle is an added complication. An overnight charge may not be sufficient for a full working day, especially when last-minute changes or emergencies occur. For those in rural areas, where distances between appointments are often greater, staff must not end up stranded in the middle of nowhere because their vehicle ran out of power before they could reach the next charger. In such cases, local authorities will need to plan for employees to stop halfway through their shifts to recharge their vehicles, ideally at the same time as having their lunch or rest break. Importantly, the responsibility for optimal route planning should be part of an administration function and not down to the driver.

Additionally, public sector departments will need to determine the best locations for their own dedicated, central charging sites. Access to good public transport links will be essential to ensure that employees are within walking distance of buses and trains, as it won’t be possible to have a site in close proximity to everyone’s home.

There will need to be careful planning of how work schedules are prioritised compared to where charging points are located to ensure that operations run smoothly and inconvenience to staff is minimised.

Planning a smooth transition

Although this transition will be challenging to implement and will alter traditional ways of commuting and working, there is the opportunity to introduce other innovations that could help staff to adjust to new routines. Optimising schedules to reduce overall travelling times and ensuring that drivers have time for appropriate rest periods could be a good starting point.

Implementing an advanced work scheduling solution would remove many of the headaches around trying to manually plan daily travel routes and breaks around the availability of charging points. These software tools can be pre-programmed with the locations of charging stations and will automatically plan the most efficient routes, coordinate charging times with rest breaks, and provide options for emergencies. They can operate dynamically, amending schedules as changes occur, such as appointments overrunning, cancellations, or a member of staff falling ill. Also, skill levels can be factored in to ensure that the most appropriately qualified person goes to an appointment. This could be applied to many different roles, such as a social worker visiting a family, or a repair worker fixing an electrical appliance or mending a plumbing leak in a care home.

Well-planned roll-outs of EVs will help to streamline operations, reduce wasted and inefficient journeys, as well as lessen the upheaval for employees.

The road to sustainability

Converting from fossil fuels to electricity produced by renewable sources will play a key part in reducing the damage to the planet and keep us on the road to sustainability. Making this progress is going to require major changes in working practices that will impact both individuals and organisations. However, with meticulous planning and the right supporting technologies, the goals for decarbonisation can be reached, or maybe met even before the deadline.

Chris Hornung is managing director for Public Sector at Totalmobile.