smart fortwo
Balfour Beatty's Plant & Fleet arm has chosen eight smart fortwo cdi coupes to add to its fleet of pool cars, demonstrating the company's commitment to reducing its CO2 footprint.
Balfour Beatty needed an environmentally friendly solution for staff business travel, with the mart fortwo being selected for its CO2 emissions of 86g/km and fuel consumption of 85.6mpg.
Balfour Beatty Plant & Fleet Services Fleet Director Hugh Cole explained: "We've made the decision to invest in eight smart vehicles as a tool to demonstrate our very strong and public commitment to sustainability.
"The cars are to be used across Balfour Beatty for employees who require a car for occasional business travel, so they had to be economical, environmentally-friendly and also comfortable for our staff. The smart cdi won on all accounts."
Balfour Beatty teamed up with Derby University to design a wrap for the smart fortwos, which draw attention to the company's green credentials. Student Samantha Delany's design was selected as the winner by a panel of judges including Plant & Fleet Services Managing Director, Steve Farmer, Jon Garrett, Head of Sustainability for Balfour Beatty Group, Brent Mitchell, Director of Operations Support at Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions and Ben Chambers, International Key Account Manager from Mercedes Benz International Fleet Sales.
"We are delighted with the design created by Sam and feel that it really reflects our values," said Mr Farmer. "Using these smart diesels means we are able to reduce our CO2 emissions and fuel usage, as well as reduce costs as the smart cdi is exempt from the annual road licence charge and the London Congestion Charge. They are a very welcome addition to our fleet."
Mike Whittington, Sales Director Mercedes Benz UK added: "It's fair to say that smart isn't the first fleet choice for some buyers, but if you open your mind to the possibilities, it makes sense. Financially the amazing fuel consumption, low CO2 and Congestion Charge exemption give impressive savings. Environmentally, smart’s range is unbeatable on its local emissions. Looking at corporate and social responsibility, small means safe. All smart models have the same armoury of standard safety systems as their bigger Mercedes Benz siblings.
