RICHARD BORGE
Steering Workers Into the Green Lane
Employers are getting more eco-car conscious. And not just new-guard and crunchy-granola companies like Google, Ben & Jerry’s, and Timberland. Health-care company Abbott Laboratories, which provides its sales staff with some 6,000 vehicles, is revamping its mileage-reimbursement rules as part of a bid to make its fleet more carbon neutral. Now, all sales reps reimburse Abbott for personal use of company cars at 17.3¢ a mile. But starting in January 2009, those choosing SUVs instead of sedans will pay 72.3¢. The new “tax” appears to be working. With 75% of orders in for about 2,000 new vehicles, 48% of reps are requesting sedans, vs. 25% for 2008. SUV orders are at 29%, down from 44%. Hybrids? At 18%, up from 6%.
