<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stephen Clegg founded Topspeed Couriers in 1985 and has spent the last four years (and roughly £4.2 million) ripping diesel out of a logistics business that moves dangerous goods, radioactive material, and time-critical government samples around the UK. He sits down with Paul and John — joined briefly by Webfleet's Richard Parker before technology has other ideas — to talk about what actually happens when you stop talking about sustainability and start spending money on it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conversation gets into the specifics most operators avoid: why carbon emissions go &lt;em&gt;up&lt;/em&gt; before they come down, why a Carbon Reduction Plan is essentially accountancy with different units, and why the much-repeated line "you'll save money by going green" is closer to "we're going to the moon in ten years" than a business case. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also covered:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Winning a King's Award for Sustainability — and the team back at base who actually did the work&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Why maintenance costs dropped to roughly a quarter once the diesel vans left the workshop&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The shift to overnight, event-critical work and what that does to fleet utilisation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Driving 15mph slower, the bonus scheme that makes it stick, and a 75% reduction in claims after rolling out AI-based driver and forward-facing cameras&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Public charging discounts that kick in when you're plugging in three or four times a day&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The smash advert theory of refined fuels (you'll need to hear it)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;One missing Volvo EX90, one nine-year-old Land Rover Discovery pressed back into service, and a verdict on 15-year-old in-cab tech&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A useful listen for anyone running a van fleet who's been told the transition is too hard, too expensive, or too early — and for anyone who's been told it'll be easy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LinkedIn:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-clegg-b0179242/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-clegg-b0179242/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Website:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.topspeedcouriers.co.uk/"&gt;https://www.topspeedcouriers.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>

EV Café Takeaway

EV Café Takeaway

170: Stephen Clegg | Topspeed

JUN 10, 202660 MIN
EV Café Takeaway

170: Stephen Clegg | Topspeed

JUN 10, 202660 MIN

Description

<div> <p>Stephen Clegg founded Topspeed Couriers in 1985 and has spent the last four years (and roughly £4.2 million) ripping diesel out of a logistics business that moves dangerous goods, radioactive material, and time-critical government samples around the UK. He sits down with Paul and John — joined briefly by Webfleet's Richard Parker before technology has other ideas — to talk about what actually happens when you stop talking about sustainability and start spending money on it.</p><p>The conversation gets into the specifics most operators avoid: why carbon emissions go <em>up</em> before they come down, why a Carbon Reduction Plan is essentially accountancy with different units, and why the much-repeated line "you'll save money by going green" is closer to "we're going to the moon in ten years" than a business case. </p><p>Also covered:</p></div><ul> <li>Winning a King's Award for Sustainability — and the team back at base who actually did the work</li> <li>Why maintenance costs dropped to roughly a quarter once the diesel vans left the workshop</li> <li>The shift to overnight, event-critical work and what that does to fleet utilisation</li> <li>Driving 15mph slower, the bonus scheme that makes it stick, and a 75% reduction in claims after rolling out AI-based driver and forward-facing cameras</li> <li>Public charging discounts that kick in when you're plugging in three or four times a day</li> <li>The smash advert theory of refined fuels (you'll need to hear it)</li> <li>One missing Volvo EX90, one nine-year-old Land Rover Discovery pressed back into service, and a verdict on 15-year-old in-cab tech</li> </ul><div> <p>A useful listen for anyone running a van fleet who's been told the transition is too hard, too expensive, or too early — and for anyone who's been told it'll be easy.</p><p><strong>LinkedIn:</strong> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-clegg-b0179242/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-clegg-b0179242/</a><br><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.topspeedcouriers.co.uk/">https://www.topspeedcouriers.co.uk</a></p></div>