ONE of Australia’s biggest outsourcing fleet contracts is going green as Custom Fleet plug into Western Australian energy supplier Western Power’s call to switch to low-emissions vehicles.

Custom Fleet this month has supplied 12 Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to Western Power’s fleet and will expand that to 40 by the end of 2018 as other vehicles in the fleet are renewed.

Custom Fleet said it was guided to the PHEV purchases on a request from Western Power to add plug-in hybrids to its fleet to lift efficiencies. It also allowed the incorporation of telematics in the vehicles to increase occupant safety.

Western Power’s fleet travels more than 30 million kilometres a year, servicing more than one million metropolitan and regional customers across the south west of Western Australia.

The state government-owned energy supplier entered a sale and lease-back arrangement with Custom Fleet last year, one of the biggest government agency fleet moves in Australia.

The contract realised $25 million from vehicle sales and Western Power said it will contribute to ongoing fleet management savings of $13 million over the next five years.

In a statement, Custom Fleet CEO Aaron Baxter said: “The Mitsubishi PHEV met the safety, operational and financial requirements of Western Power”.

“When teamed with Custom Fleet’s Vehicle Telematics, it gives Western Power drivers a further level of safety.”

The Outlander PHEV, which can drive for up to 54 kilometres on electric charge alone, was selected because of its low-emissions attributes that suit its predominantly urban duty.

The telematics fitted to the fleet allows drivers to instantly notify Western Power’s safety team.

Western Power CEO Guy Chalkley said: “In the event of an accident the vehicle will automatically notify our safety team, who will take immediate action and send out help if it’s needed.”

The deal is a fillip for Mitsubishi that, like its electric vehicle and PHEV peers, has been struggling with poor sales.

Mitsubishi has sold 1666 Outlander PHEVs in Australia in the past three years after its launch in April 2014. Trickling supply led the model to run out of stock late last year, temporarily interrupting sales volumes.

Australia’s electric vehicle sales year-to-date ending April are up 20 per cent at 36 units, while hybrid sales are up 14 per cent to 774 units in the same period. This compares with falls in diesel, LPG and petrol fuelled vehicles.

By Neil Dowling