Greener commuting at Volvo by use of CO2 “pedometer”

Greener commuting at Volvo by use of CO2 “pedometer”

A group of employees from the Volvo Group in Göteborg, Sweden, have been taking
part in a project in which a personal CO2 “pedometer” has kept a check on what
their commuting to work costs in the form of carbon emissions. Their journeys
were registered using software in their mobile phones and a concept developed by
Volvo IT. By changing their behaviour, the group succeeded in reducing their
carbon footprint by more than 30%.

With their normal travelling pattern as the starting point, the participants set
a target for reducing their environmental impact. Many of them chose to take the
bus or bicycle instead of travelling by car. People who left their cars at home
were able to make business trips during working hours using eco cars from a car
pool. 

All their journeys were registered using their mobiles and the participants were
then informed via their mobile phones about the reduction they had made in
carbon emissions. 

“Our project demonstrates how Green IT can show people how they can help to
reduce the climate threat and thereby increase their motivation to change their
behaviour and help to improve the environment,” explains Kerstin Hanson at Volvo
IT, where the prototype has been developed. 

This prototype project, which was run in collaboration with the City of
Göteborg, among others, aimed to measure the time, efficiency and environmental
impact associated with commuting. 

“Greater collaboration between industry and society is essential to overcome the
environmental challenges that face us,” says Niklas Gustavsson, director of
environmental and social affairs at AB Volvo.

In addition to the purely environmental benefits, there is tremendous potential
for improving the efficiency of the existing road network. 

“If this kind of IT-based system can increase people's motivation to use
alternative means of transport, we can also reduce the load on our roads. This
means that commercial traffic and the people who have to use their cars will be
able to travel more smoothly,“ explains Niklas Gustavsson. 

Many environmental problems are global and traffic infarcts during the rush hour
affect most of the major cities all over the world. So moving from a prototype
to a ready-made offer represents an exciting business opportunity. 

“We are currently analysing the results and they look promising. Several of the
participants are going to continue commuting by bus, as they have seen just how
smoothly it works,” concludes Kerstin Hanson.

Facts relating to the technology
The participants used their mobile phones to contact a website where they
registered. The environmental impact was calculated on the basis of distance and
means of transport. Tickets for public transport could also be purchased via
mobile phones and eco cars could be booked and unlocked in the same way. 

Press images are available at http://imagegallery.volvogroup.volvo.se/

May 27, 2009

For more information, please contact Jan Strandhede, Media Relations Manager,
Volvo IT, tel +46 31 323 37 15.

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AB Volvo (publ) may be required to disclose the information provided herein
pursuant to the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for
publication at 13.00 p.m. CET, 27 May, 2009.

Volvo Information Technology AB is a wholly owned subsidiary of AB Volvo.  The
company delivers IT solutions and services for the whole of the industrial
process, from product development and production to sales, aftersales and
administration, including IT operations and infrastructure. Its customers
include AB Volvo, Ford Motor Company, Volvo Car Corporation and other large
operations within industry and the public sector. In 2008, Volvo IT's global
operations generated a turnover of SEK 8.7 billion and the company had more than
5,300 employees in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Please visit
www.volvoit.com for more information.