Balfour Beatty Makes A Smart Decision

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – Sept 7, 2011: World-class infrastructure services business Balfour Beatty’s Plant & Fleet arm has added eight smart fortwo cdi coupés to its fleet of pool cars as a demonstration of the company’s commitment to reducing its CO2 footprint.

Balfour Beatty Plant & Fleet Services took the strategic decision to add the smart cdi vehicles after searching for an economical and environmentally-friendly solution for staff business travel, and being won over by the CO2 champion’s figures of just 86g/km CO2 and combined cycle fuel economy of over 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.”

In addition to the purchase, Balfour Beatty teamed up with Derby University to design a wrap for the smarts to highlight the company’s green credentials. The winning design by student Samantha Delany was chosen 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.