Fleet Carbon Footprint

A fleet carbon footprint assessment (bilan carbone) measures the greenhouse gases emitted by a fleet's vehicles, in metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. It is calculated by multiplying each actual consumption figure (liters, kWh) by an emission factor from the public database of ADEME, the French ecological transition agency. Drawn up for a given period, it feeds the regulatory greenhouse gas report and sustainability reporting.

How do you calculate a fleet's carbon footprint?

The calculation rests on a simple formula: activity data × emission factor. The official method for GHG reports (in French) defines the emission factor as a coefficient that links activity data to emissions.

For a fleet, the most reliable activity data is actual consumption. Liters come from fuel card statements, kWh from charging stations or charging invoices. Mileage serves as a consistency check, or as an estimate when a consumption figure is missing.

Emission factors are found in the Base Empreinte, which ADEME presents as the official public database of emission factors. Use the factor that exactly matches the energy you bought, and note the version of the database you used.

Energy	Data to collect	Where to find it	ADEME emission factor (mainland France)
B7 road diesel	Liters purchased	Fuel card statements, bulk tank invoices	3.1 kgCO₂e per liter (Base Carbone® V23.6)
Gasoline (SP95, SP95-E10, SP98)	Liters purchased	Fuel card statements	2.69 kgCO₂e per liter (Base Carbone® V23.6)
Electricity, 2024 average mix	kWh charged	Charging stations, invoices, home charging records	0.0519 kgCO₂e per kWh (Base Carbone® V23.6)
Other energies (NGV, E85, HVO, B100)	Liters or kilograms	Supplier invoices	Energy-specific factor, to look up in the Base Empreinte

How to read it: every thousand liters of B7 diesel represents 3.1 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (ADEME). These values were retrieved on October 13, 2026. The ADEME dataset is dated July 3, 2025.

Which item of the GHG report do vehicles belong to?

The regulatory method sorts emissions into six categories. Fuel burned by your vehicles falls under item 1.2, "mobile combustion sources," among direct emissions. Electricity consumed falls under item 2.1, among indirect energy-related emissions.

Commuting (item 3.3) and business travel (item 3.5) fall under category 3, "indirect emissions associated with transport." According to the method, these indirect emissions are included when they are significant.

Who has to publish a regulatory GHG report?

In France, the greenhouse gas emissions report (bilan d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre, or BEGES) stems from Article L229-25 of the Environmental Code. According to the French Ministry of the Economy (in French), it applies to companies with more than 500 employees in mainland France. The threshold is 250 employees in France's overseas territories.

Companies produce it every four years, public bodies every three years. The report comes with a transition plan and is published on ADEME's platform. Failure to comply can lead to a fine of up to €50,000, rising to €100,000 for a repeat offense.

Large companies subject to the CSRD directive also publish their emissions in their sustainability report. The same fleet data then serves twice.

How do you reduce fleet emissions?

• Right-size the fleet: a vehicle that is rarely used consumes resources without serving any purpose. Reassign it or remove it from the fleet.
• Train drivers in eco-driving: eco-driving acts directly on the liters consumed, and therefore on the result.
• Optimize routes: fewer unnecessary kilometers means less fuel. See our article on route optimization.
• Electrify in order of priority: the emission factor for French electricity is low, but range has to match actual use. Our energy transition offering helps you choose which vehicles to replace first.
• Look into alternative fuels: for heavy vehicles that are hard to electrify, a compatible biofuel can round out the approach.

How Dadycar helps

Dadycar brings together the data that feeds your assessment. CO₂ tracking is included from the Free plan, along with vehicle records and contracts. The Fleet plan links fuel, fuel cards and expenses to each vehicle.

Odometer history serves as a consistency check. The ESG sustainability dashboard and the energy transition analysis show where to act first. With telematics, the state of charge of electric vehicles comes in automatically, and anomaly detection spots inconsistencies.

ESG reporting and cross-entity cost allocation are part of the Tailored plan. Your data is hosted in France, by OVHcloud. Plan details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a carbon assessment and a carbon footprint?

The carbon assessment is the calculation exercise, over a defined scope and period. The carbon footprint is the result, expressed in metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. For a fleet, the scope specifies the vehicles, energies and uses taken into account.

Should you start from actual consumption or from manufacturer data?

Start from actual consumption, taken from fuel cards and charging records. It reflects how your vehicles are really used. Type-approval values from the WLTP procedure are for comparing models, not for measuring your fleet's emissions.

Does an electric vehicle have a zero footprint?

No. Every kWh charged counts, with an ADEME factor of 0.0519 kgCO₂e for the 2024 average mix (Base Carbone®). Manufacturing the vehicle is added under item 4.2, "capital goods," when it is significant.