In brief
Carbon pricing makes fossil fuels more expensive through a charge per tonne of carbon dioxide. In a fleet, it appears in the pump price rather than as a separate item.
How does it affect a fleet?
Fuel suppliers bear the price per tonne of carbon dioxide and pass it on in the sale price. For a fleet, that means a surcharge per litre that grows as the carbon price rises. Charging electricity is not affected in the same way, so the cost difference between powertrains may widen over time.
Why is it absent from invoices?
Because it is included in the fuel price rather than shown separately. It therefore does not appear as its own line on a fuel-card provider's consolidated invoice. It becomes visible indirectly when fuel cost per kilometre rises over the years although consumption has not changed.
What does this mean for planning?
Calculations based on today's fuel prices tend to underestimate the cost of a combustion-engine vehicle over several years. It therefore makes sense to use an assumed price path, rather than a fixed fuel price, when calculating total cost of ownership.
Because that path is set by policy and can change, document the assumption. It will then be clear later what a decision was based on.
Further reading
Fleet Management Without Excel Spreadsheets
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