Volkswagen Wins The 2010 Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award

Volkswagen has been honoured with the 2010 Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award for Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture. The accolade was presented at a ceremony in London last week, and recognises the contribution made by Volkswagen to green fleet management.

Now in their fifth year, the Fleet Hero Awards aim to highlight best practice in fleet management and acknowledge organisations that are addressing climate change by reducing carbon emissions from business travel. Best practice is recognised in individual fleets or organisations as well as manufacturers who use technology innovatively to reduce their impact on the environment.

Volkswagen is taking a broadminded view towards the future of mobility, with its drive towards green motoring headed up by the BlueMotion Technologies 'brand'. In its efforts to develop and engineer cars which are efficient, affordable, practical and viable, it is investing in a number of new and existing technologies ranging from efficient internal combustion engined vehicles, to fully electric powered cars and vans. The most appropriate power source for each application depends on a number of factors, one of which is timescale. Far from taking a single course, Volkswagen has adopted a multi-layered approach to future mobility. In addition to electric cars, work continues on enhancing technologies which are here now, which will be common in ten years time and which will become a key part of future mobility, for example, hydrogen fuel cells.

Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust commented, Philip Sellwood, commented: 'Congratulations to Volkswagen UK for winning the Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award for Innovation in Car and Manufacture. The Fleet Hero Awards highlights those who have not only taken steps to help the environment but also to save money and resources. This is a great example for others to follow."

Transport Minister Norman Baker MP added: "It gives me a great pleasure to support the Energy Saving Trust's Fleet Hero Awards and in recognising the achievements that organisations are making to reduce emissions and costs from their fleets.

"While much of the debate on tackling climate change focuses on long term solutions, fleets can make an active and meaningful contribution today. Organisations both large and small can make a real difference through procuring greener, cleaner vehicles, or improving fuel consumption through driver training or simply by reducing business travel. The excellent efforts and innovation shown by the award winners and nominees give me great encouragement that the fleet industry can and will meet these challenges."