Richmond's Fleet

Richmond's Fleet at a Glance

Richmond fleet buys and maintains a wide range of vehicles and equipment, from mowers and snowplows to vans for youth programs and trucks for Parks crews.

Almost 18% of fleet is made up of light-duty cars and about 37% is light-duty trucks, vans and SUVs. Another 25% of fleet is medium and heavy-duty trucks like big crew cabs, dump trucks and crane trucks. The rest of Fleet’s assets are equipment.  The Fleet represents 32.7% of the City’s total emissions, second only to buildings, offering a tremendous opportunity to achieve the City’s targets through green fleet solutions.

When it comes to a fleet, not all vehicles are alike, and as a result they have different requirements that affect fuel consumption and emissions. For example, cars and light-duty trucks use gasoline, larger fleet vehicles like a bulldozer use diesel fuel and some specialized equipment like forklifts use propane, diesel or electric power. Driver behaviour can also influence fuel use and GHG emissions due to speed, vehicle loads and vehicle maintenance. Richmond's Green Fleet Action Plan includes an inventory of its fleet, fuel consumption and GHG emissions with data from 1995, 2007 and 2010 to help track progress towards its goals.

Where do the Fleet's Green House Gas Emissions Come From?

Passenger cars are responsible for only 7% of Fleet emissions, in part because by 2010, over 50% of Richmond's passenger cars were already green fleet vehicles (hybrids or Smart Cars). Most of Richmond's fleet are trucks, which have a higher share of emissions, due in part to diesel fuel, fewer green fleet vehicle options in the market, and service requirements that often include idling.