With terms such as BlueMotion, EcoBlue, Bluetec and BlueHDi, the car industry has for years been consciously or unknowingly hoping for the color of a completely new, sustainable car fuel that may make the future for the diesel engine a little brighter. PSA, parent company of Peugeot and Citroën, among others, takes the lead in accepting it.
Also check AutoWeek.nl
Not green, but blue is the color that we assign to everything that must be recognized as environmentally friendly or sustainable in the car world. Look for example at Nissan, which gives the logos of its electric models a blue glow, as if the protective film was accidentally still on it. Toyota does the same with the logo on its hybrid models.
And what about the many diesel engines and concepts that listen to commercial names that all refer to the color blue? The Finnish fuel manufacturer Neste is now actually producing a blue-colored fuel with a greener than green character. We are talking about HVO, which stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil.
Can be used in modern diesels without modifications
HVO is a 100 percent organic alternative to synthetic diesel fuel. The special feature is that HVO is extracted primarily from plant remains and other organic waste material. It is considered sustainable because the plants that have been processed for it have taken up their portion of CO2 from the atmosphere; this compensates for what is emitted again during combustion in the diesel engine.
Neste emphasizes that it actually processes residual material; it has not set up plantations whose harvesting is entering the refining process.
HVO can be used without problems and without technical modifications in many modern diesel engines. It even has a higher combustion value than traditional diesel, so that a better and therefore cleaner combustion takes place.
This claim applies to the application of HVO 100, which means that you actually fill 100 percent HVO (the code is B100 on the tank column). There are also intermediate forms such as HVO 20 or 30, but then regular diesel is added.
The result with HVO 100 is, among other things, 33 percent less emissions of particulate matter and soot. The better combustion also leads to a reduced consumption of AdBlue, the means that you usually add to limit nitrogen oxide emissions.
–
–
–
–
Only HVO 100 is 100 percent organic. (Photo: Neste)
Fuel approved for diesel from Peugeot, Citroën and DS
HVO is not as new as it may seem here, because it has been used for years in heavy transport, in particular by trucks and in shipping. The focus on HVO 100 for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles is the result of the initiative taken by PSA to homologate the fuel for all Peugeot, Citroën and DS models with a Euro 5 or Euro 6 diesel engine. This means that the manufacturer makes a commitment that his models can run without problems on HVO 100 that meets the EN15940 standard.
“By officially introducing HVO 100 we can enter the market with a new alternative to traditional diesel,” said Henri van Dijk, key account manager at PSA Nederland.
“We see it as an ideal step between electric driving, which is certainly not always a viable alternative to diesel for vans, and the usual diesel fuel, which unfortunately has to contend with an image problem.”
According to Van Dijk, HVO 100 is a great solution for companies and municipalities who want to make their fleet sustainable, but for whom electric driving is not an option for whatever reason.
“You can have your existing and new diesel vehicles run smoothly on it, while you can still attach the label of sustainability to it.”
The predicted reduction in CO2 emissions that the Finnish fuel manufacturer has in mind is very impressive at 89 percent. Does that also translate into a lower bpm? “Unfortunately not”, says Van Dijk. “After all, the emission is still there. Only the origin of the fuel is sustainable in this case and not with normal diesel.”
–
–
–
–
HVO 100 could make vans a lot greener. (Photo: Peugeot)
“Own tank unit pays for companies”
Logically, the availability of HVO 100 is a point of concern. Van Dijk says that is not too bad, since HVO 100 is primarily a solution for companies.
“When they have large fleets, it quickly pays to install a tank unit for this fuel on their own terrain. Fuel suppliers are happy to help.”
According to Van Dijk, the price per liter is 10 to 20 cents higher than regular diesel. He states that large buyers can conclude their own deals with suppliers, since nothing is fixed.
“It is certain that the fuel consumption of HVO 100 will decrease slightly and that of AdBlue as well. That way you will get roughly neutral.”
This story was in AutoWeek 2
– .
