Shift to hybrid fleet saves money, reduces emissions - Waikato DHB

This month seven hybrid Toyota Prius and Camry vehicles joined the Waikato DHB’s vehicle fleet, adding to the 10 which arrived last November.

By the end of 2023, the hybrid fleet will be up to 390, replacing the majority of the petrol fleet. This change has been fuelled not only by environmental motivations but also the lower running costs hybrid technology offers.

Waikato DHB’s sustainability coordinator Katie Hine worked on the project with procurement senior specialist Sarah Macrae. The carbon inventory Hine developed for Waikato DHB as a benchmark late last year showed fuel from the vehicle fleet makes up about 9% of the DHB’s overall carbon emissions.

"Shifting to hybrid will contribute to lowering these emissions," Hine says. "The hybrids will deliver an estimated 39% reduction in fuel, which is a great step towards lowering our carbon emissions and saving money."

Macrae confirms that from a procurement perspective, it was important to look at the value of the hybrids as part of the wider cost picture. "In fact the price of the Prius hybrid turned out to be about the same as a standard vehicle fleet replacement. The Camry hybrid is a bigger car and costs a little bit more, but the savings in fuel are also greater."

Hybrid vehicles were chosen because the infrastructure for fully electric vehicles cannot support longer journeys to smaller towns and rural areas in Waikato, and the cost of putting in charging bays on DHB sites could not be justified.

"Hybrid was a perfect compromise - it gives us reliability and cost savings, as well as reducing our fleet carbon footprint," Hine says.

The cars are getting the thumbs-up from staff too for being so quiet, easy to drive, and equipped with standard features that were not available in some of the older fleet cars they are replacing.