Alternative powertrains are finding ever more room within corporate fleets too. This is the finding of the "Flotte aziendali 2016" research conducted by the Top Thousand permanent observatory on mobility, promoted by fleet and mobility managers at companies that together represent a vehicle pool of more than 31,000 vehicles. While diesel remains the predominant fuel choice (81.6 per cent), the presence of greener cars in fleets is beginning to grow. Hybrid cars account for 9 per cent, electric vehicles for 4.4 per cent. LPG and methane follow, each with a share of 1.3 per cent. The research also found that the most direct consequence of the growing number of environmentally conscious cars is a reduction in CO2 emissions, which are below the 120 g/km threshold — a figure that is moreover in continuous decline, also aided by the frequent turnover of vehicles such as rental cars, which are replaced on average every 48 months.

Fleet management strategies and technology on board company cars were the other topics analysed by the observatory. On the former, it emerges that the majority of vehicles (almost 9 in 10) are managed through long-term rental arrangements. Fourteen per cent, on the other hand, are owned by the company, on lease or under fleet management. Only a small residual share is rented on a short-term basis. Turning to telematics, among the optional features that make driving easier and that are increasingly hard to do without, we find the sat nav (80 per cent), Bluetooth (65 per cent) and parking sensors (55 per cent). On-board safety is also important, supported by technologies such as cruise control (40 per cent), city emergency braking systems (20 per cent), lane-keeping systems (10 per cent) and road sign recognition systems (5 per cent). On-board connectivity is growing. Technology is also used for monitoring purposes, from fuel consumption to accidents, through to anti-theft systems such as satellite trackers.

Among those who report substantial stability in the number of cars in their corporate fleet over the coming years (68 per cent), those who expect an increase (21 per cent) and those who expect a decrease (11 per cent), the shared priorities of more than half of fleet managers for the future are road safety and employee satisfaction (53 per cent) — particularly regarding the way the vehicle pool is used and driver comfort — alongside an overall reduction in fleet costs (47 per cent), and in particular with regard to fuel (42 per cent). And the growing trend in choices towards eco-friendly cars such as hybrids is undoubtedly heading in the direction of reduced expenditure, which moreover also benefits the environment.