Volvo Group: Building the Case for Electric Buses
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VolvoClient case — Group: Building the case for electric buses About the Transforming to a low-carbon economy brings disruptive changes to Volvo Group many industry sectors. Industry leaders must not only deal with The Volvo Group disruption effectively, but also identify the upside of risks and act on is one of the those opportunities. world’s leading manufacturers In the transport sector, Volvo Group of Sweden, supported by of trucks buses, KPMG in Sweden, has carried out pioneering work on the case for construction low-carbon electric buses by building environmental and social impacts equipment into the total cost of ownership. We asked Niklas Gustafsson, Volvo and marine Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, how this analysis has helped to and industrial reinforce Volvo Group’s position as a leader in sustainable engines. transport solutions. The Group also provides complete There is a shift to cleaner, quieter reach an estimated annual sales volume solutions for and more efficient cities approaching 35,000 units by 2020.1 Volvo Group is already embarking on a mission to financing and Momentum is building worldwide behind a address this demand. service. The technological shift towards low-carbon city transport including fully electric bus systems. group, with its True cost of ownership goes headquarters The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is committed to accelerate the implementation of beyond direct financial costs in Gothenburg, ultra-low emission bus technologies and 23 of Municipalities and transport authorities must Sweden, its members have signed the Clean Bus base their investment decisions on the best employs about Declaration calling on the finance and transport available data which traditionally focuses solely 100,000 people, sectors to support them through technology on direct financial costs. Costs related to has production innovation and financing. environmental and social impacts are rarely facilities in factored in because relevant data is not easily Fully electric buses have significant available. That is why Volvo Group decided to take 18 countries and environmental and social advantages because a leadership role and quantify the environmental sells its products they are exhaust-free, almost noiseless and can and social value created by its electric buses. in more than shorten travel time, helping to create cleaner, 190 markets. In quieter and more efficient cities. The buses can “Standard investment appraisals do not take into account all of the costs that impact society 2015 the Volvo even operate indoors which offers new opportunities for innovation in city planning and and the environment. Therefore, to quantify all of Group’s net transport routing. All this translates into a the aspects, we calculated the monetary value sales amounted market with attractive growth prospects. of an electric bus line,” says Mr. Gustafsson. to around The global electric bus market is expected The objective of the analysis was to understand US$37 billion. to grow at a compound annual growth rate of how the total cost of electric buses compares with 28 percent between 2014 and 2020, and to that of diesel and biogas buses when social and 1 Persistence Market Research, 2015, Global Market Study on Electric Bus. © 2016 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. The buses can even operate indoors which offers new opportunities for innovation in city planning and transport routing. All this translates into a market with attractive growth prospects. © 2016 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. environmental impacts are taken into account. In helped to ensure we covered all relevant order to do so, Volvo Group chose to work with perspectives for Volvo, as well as to create In order to finance and sustainability professionals from support and buy-in to the process.” KPMG member firms and to develop an approach apply the Once all factors material to TrueTCO had called True Total Cost of Ownership (TrueTCO). been identified, the central challenge was to methodology This methodology monetizes the environmental find credible and robust data to monetize what to the client’s and socio-economic impacts of an organization are traditionally perceived as non-financial specific case, we and/or its products and services - in other words, impacts. For example, traffic noise can it quantifies them in financial terms. needed insight adversely affect people and has been linked to from many health issues such as heart conditions and Volvo Group The process identifies material stress. The True TCO analysis required the team stakeholders environmental and social impacts to apply a financial cost per person per year to to identify Volvo Group and KPMG’s Sustainability practice account for the adverse effects of traffic noise. environmental in Sweden carried out a comprehensive stakeholder dialogue and materiality analysis to True Total Cost of Ownership and social identify the socio-economic and environmental transforms the conventional factors that impacts to be quantified in financial terms in view of costs have a material Volvo Group’s TrueTCO analysis. impact. Traditional financial cost-of-ownership analyses Speaking about the process, Daniel Dellham, suggests that the cost of owning electric buses the partner leading the project for KPMG in is higher than owning buses based on Sweden says: “In order to apply the conventional technologies. However, the picture methodology to the client’s specific case, we changes dramatically when the TrueTCO is needed insight from many Volvo Group calculated and environmental and socio- stakeholders to identify environmental and economic impacts are also taken into account. social factors that have a material impact. The TrueTCO of electric buses is significantly “We consulted with many stakeholders, both lower than that of biogas and diesel buses. from within Volvo Group and external ones like Furthermore, electric is the only technology that city and transport authorities, environmental sees a reduction in ownership costs when the NGOs and universities. This extensive dialogue TrueTCO lens is applied. KPMG True Value Analysis Comparison of True Total Cost of Ownership of electric bus vs diesel bus TrueTCO per bus per year Financial Environmental and TCO (F/Financial) Socio-economic (S) TrueTCO Environmental (E) costs socio-economic costs Using scarce materials in batteries adds to the TrueTCO of the electric bus The current tax incentive structure Expected increases in the in Sweden favors diesel buses over cost of extracting fossil fuels electric. The TrueTCO analysis affect electric buses much Sweden’s carbon tax means that levels the playing field. less than diesel buses diesel’s much higher carbon emissions are largely accounted for in the TCO analysis Traditional TCO Less pollution and noise (financial) of an electric reduces public healthcare Electric bus design reduces travel bus is higher than diesel costs compared to diesel time by enabling speedier boarding and disembarking of passengers Conflict Tr aditional TCO GHG emissions Resource use Energy use mineral risk Local pollution Noise Safety Tr avel time Tax incentives TrueTCO F E E E S SS S F F F+F+S Source: GRC Today, October 2016, KPMG International © 2016 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. “The results show that irrespective of per year, of which US$45 million would be public the number of parameters taken into healthcare savings.” consideration, electric buses comprise the leading public transport solution,” says True TCO could help to transform Mr Gustafsson. urban environments worldwide The value bridge below demonstrates how The TrueTCO analysis has helped Volvo Group theTrue TCO analysis changes the conventional to increase awareness of the environmental view of costs. The bars represent the difference and socio-economic impacts of city transport. in costs between an electric bus and a diesel It can also help city municipalities and transport bus. The bar on the far left shows that the authorities worldwide to make decisions on TrueTCO of an electric bus is higher than that of city planning and the future development of a diesel bus when only direct financial costs are their transport systems. It is a strong example taken into account. The bar on the far right of how business can drive sustainable shows that the TrueTCO of an electric bus is innovation and change by quantifying external lower than that of a diesel bus when the costs social and environmental impacts that, until of environmental and socio-economic impacts now, have usually been unpriced. are taken into account. Savings to society could be significant For more information: “Electric buses are an excellent example of an Daniel Dellham innovation that can create substantial value for Director, Sustainability Consulting society,” says Mr. Dellham, of KPMG in KPMG in Sweden Sweden. E: [email protected] “Our analysis was based on a city with about Erik Wedershoven half a million inhabitants and 400 buses. If all city Manager, Sustainability Consulting KPMG in Sweden buses in Sweden were electric, it could save E: [email protected] Swedish society approximately US$225 million KPMG True Value Analysis Comparison of True Total Cost of Ownership of electric bus vs diesel bus TrueTCO per bus per year Financial Environmental and TCO (F/Financial) Socio-economic (S) TrueTCO Environmental (E) costs socio-economic costs Using scarce materials in batteries adds to the TrueTCO of the electric bus The current tax incentive structure Expected increases in the in Sweden favors diesel buses over cost of extracting fossil fuels electric. The TrueTCO analysis affect electric buses much Sweden’s carbon tax means that levels the playing field.