In 2018, Ford was the first car manufacturer in Germany to offer its dealers energy advice. Around 200 companies have used this and save an average of around 75 tons of CO2 per year. That is three times more than the goal set at the start of the project. The concept has also received several awards – and is now being expanded.
It is still a matter of recording energy consumption and the associated costs and then developing tailor-made measures for the respective dealers. Now the step towards climate neutrality is to be taken in the program. In cooperation with energy auditors accredited by the federal government, the CO2 footprint of a retailer is calculated and shown how the retailer can make its operations climate-neutral.
“So far, participating dealers have recorded average cost savings of around 6,000 euros per year,” explains Stefan Welter, head of Ford dealer advice. “But due to the current price explosions, the savings potential is now significantly greater.” On average, the energy costs of Ford dealers were already around 42,000 euros in 2021.
In order to react to the vehement price increases of the past few months, the realigned Ford concept is now increasingly aimed at ad hoc measures. “We want to give retailers something they can use to quickly and pragmatically curb the increase in their energy costs,” emphasizes Welter. On the one hand, the suggestions of the energy consultants are aimed at the behavior of the employees in the companies. For example, it shows how much energy can be saved by switching off the lights or the workshop facilities, by bundling orders, sealing leaky lines in the compressed air system or opening workshop doors only as wide as is really necessary.
On the other hand, the consultants are also aimed at the management of Ford’s contractual partners. This involves installing motion detectors, sealing windows or separate circuits, for example to only illuminate the shop windows. But larger long-term solutions such as photovoltaic systems or the replacement of heating systems are also discussed.
One pillar of the program is the idea of networking. From January, Ford dealers in Austria and Switzerland will also be able to take advantage of the advisory service. The major goal of the automaker: by 2035, it wants to be climate-neutral from the electric vehicle fleet through the supply chain to the production site in Europe. (awm)
