Definition
The fleet category includes direct GHG emissions from owned or leased mobile sources (both road and non-road vehicles) that are within the company's inventory boundaries.
Emissions in the fleet category relate to company-owned or operated vehicles, engines and equipment that move by burning fuel and emit emissions. This includes vehicles used for the transportation of employees, distribution vehicles, off-road vehicles, engines and equipment for other purposes. If these vehicles are not owned or directly controlled by the company, they are included in the company's Scope 3 emissions.
Important note: The appliances must move under their own power in order to be considered a mobile combustion source. If the appliances are instead transported from place to place (e.g. an emergency power generator), they count as stationary combustion sources.
Accounting for emissions from the vehicle fleet
Three different methods can be used to calculate emissions from the vehicle fleet:
The fuel-based method:
The fuel-based method should be used when companies have data available on the fuel consumption of transportation companies. Companies should then also take into account the additional energy consumed and include fugitive emissions (e.g. refrigerant losses or air conditioning systems). Optionally, companies can also calculate the emissions from the return transport, i.e. the return journey of the empty vehicle.
With the fuel-based method, emissions are calculated by multiplying the amount of fuel consumed by a suitable emission factor for the fuel. In the Climate Hub, suitable emission factors have already been stored for the fuels diesel, gasoline, CNG and LPG under Vehicle Fleet (quantity). You can enter the quantity of fuel consumed here and the emissions will be calculated automatically.
The fuel-based method is most appropriate if the vehicle only transports goods purchased by the reporting company. Otherwise, emissions should be split between goods transported for the reporting company and goods transported for other companies. If the data required for the apportionment is not available due to the large number of goods transported simultaneously in a vehicle, the distance-based method should be used for the calculation. Similarly, if fuel consumption data is not available.
The distance-based method:
The distance-based method multiplies the distance traveled by the mass or volume of the transported goods and the corresponding emission factors of the means of transport. In the Climate Hub, the fuels diesel, gasoline, CNG, LPG, hybrid - combustion component and suitable emission factors for a diesel-powered motorcycle have already been stored under Vehicle Fleet (km). You can enter the amount of fuel consumed here and the emissions will be calculated automatically.
Please note that the fuel-based method is more accurate than the distance-based method, as fuel consumption is directly related to emissions.
The spend-based method:
If the fuel-based or distance-based method cannot be applied, the spend-based method should be used. With this method, the costs incurred for transportation are multiplied by the corresponding spend-based emission factors. In the Climate Hub, you can add your own activity via the plus symbol and search for a spend-based emission factor in our database, for example.
Please note that the spend-based method is subject to a high degree of uncertainty, so the other two methods should always be preferred.
Accounting for the vehicle fleet in the Climate Hub
In the Climate Hub, you will already find some predefined emission sources for which emission factors are already stored. You can enter the quantity here. The Climate Hub then calculates the emissions for you. If you would like to enter additional emission sources or use your own emission factors, you can do so using the plus symbol at the bottom left. You can find a detailed description here.
Quality Control Guidelines
- Compare the emission factors provided by the fuel supplier or collected on-site with the EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership: Emission Factors for Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
- Document fuel consumption data with official logs from vehicle gauges, fuel purchase receipts and stock tank purchase records.
- Document the distance traveled with mileage logs and calculated distance to destination.
- Document your vehicle's fuel consumption using company records, manufacturer records or information from the EPA fuel economy website.
Further information can be found in the Scope 1 & 2 GHG Inventory Guidance of the GHG Protocol in chapter Scope 1 Mobile Combustion from page 21.