The Vehicle Fleet Module allows you to have a comprehensive view of the emissions attributed to each vehicle in your fleet.
Please note: this module focuses on the emissions generated during the production of the vehicles, rather than the emissions produced during their operational lifetime, which are addressed under the Business Travel module.
1. Why Consider Emissions from Vehicle Production?
When evaluating the lifetime emissions of a vehicle, a substantial portion is generated during its production phase, and ignoring these emissions would create a significant gap in the overall emissions accounting.
Production emissions are typically much higher than the operational emissions over a standard reporting period. To address this, we distribute the production emissions over the expected ownership period of the vehicle, known as the amortization time.
This approach highlights the importance of including vehicles acquired outside the reporting period, whether purchased or leased.
🚨 Vehicles on short-term leases (such as rental cars) should only be included in the Business Travel module, not the Vehicle Fleet module.
2. Differences between GHG Protocol and BEGES when accounting for vehicle emissions
The consideration of vehicle production emissions is mandatory only under the BEGES methodology and is optional under the GHG Protocol
- GHG Protocol
The GHG Protocol allows flexibility in reporting vehicle construction emissions, particularly for leased or purchased vehicles. The inclusion of these emissions depends on the vehicle's usage type and the relationship between the acquisition year and the assessment year:
Vehicle Leasing:
New vehicle, short-term leasing (<12 months): Construction emissions are excluded.
New vehicle, long-term leasing (>12 months): Construction emissions are excluded, except if the acquisition year matches the assessment year.
Vehicle Purchase:
New vehicle, acquisition year = assessment year: Construction emissions are included.
Second-hand or refurbished vehicles: Construction emissions are excluded. While storage, transport, or new part emissions could theoretically be included, they are often difficult to quantify.
This framework offers organizations flexibility in deciding whether to include production emissions, focusing more on operational emissions in most cases.
- BEGES
In contrast, the BEGES framework adopts a standardized approach by amortizing vehicle production emissions over seven years, regardless of leasing or purchasing:
If the vehicle’s age (acquisition year - assessment year) is less than seven years: Emissions are amortized over the remaining period.
If the vehicle’s age exceeds seven years: Emissions are considered fully amortized and excluded from reporting.
Unlike the GHG Protocol, BEGES does not differentiate between leasing and purchasing scenarios, simplifying the calculation but imposing stricter inclusion of production emissions over a defined time horizon.
3. Upload your data
To complete the module, click on the corresponding task on your dashboard or go to Data -> Activity overview > Vehicle Fleet and follow the steps below:
You have two options to upload your data:
Manually, on the platform by clicking on "Add data manually"
Using the template by clicking on "Import file" at the top right of the page.
Whichever you use, please make sure to fill out the mandatory fields: they come with a red * on the platform and appear in blue in the template. The mandatory fields are:
The fleet categories (cars, trucks, utility, bus, two-wheeler);
The type of engine;
The vehicle model and category. For the car, you will be able to select your exact model, like a Toyota Corolla for example;
The vehicle count and acquisition date.
There are also additional data that would help us provide even more accurate results and we highly recommend including them:
If it's owned or leased
If it's new or pre-owned;
The vehicle's weight.
If you do not have the necessary information, you can click on "Skip the module" at the bottom left of the page.
4. Review your data and read your results
Once you have uploaded your data, you can flag the expenses related to the module to avoid double counting and access your results. To do so, please read the related article.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to support@greenly.earth.