Speed Limiters fitted to our Fleet

SPEED LIMITERS FITTED TO OUR FLEET

September 2011

Forever looking at ways to save money and save CO² - we decided to have top speed limiters fitted to our fleet of vehicles.

The system limits the maximum speed of a vehicle to a preset level whilst the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, without a noticeable variation in the speed.

For vehicles, such as ours, that do many miles on motor ways and dual carriage ways, a top speed limiter can reduce fuel consumption, especially if drivers are going above the speed limit. Tests have been conducted on a variety of vehicles at various speeds to see how fuel usage is related to speed. The results do vary but the common theme is that less speed = less fuel used.

We were lucky enough to receive a Grant from the sustainable routes team and we used Everglade Services to supply the limiters.

Looking at the example given on the Everglade Services website, their test showed a fuel saving of over 25%. If this is the case, then we could be saving 7,854 litres of fuel (based on our annual usage for 2010/2011) which is potentially an impressive CO² reduction.

The increase in fuel economy is not the only benefit however, as the operating RPM is much lower at 70 mph as opposed to 80+ mph, the engine and vehicle component wear can also be reduced.