Starting in January, BMW will fill up all new diesel models it builds in Germany with HVO 100 hydrotreated vegetable oil.
The German automaker is working with Finnish manufacturer Neste on the initiative, filling up new diesel models coming off the line with a fuel produced from various wastes, such as cooking oil, residues, and other renewable raw materials. Palm oil is not used in production or in the product, however, and the oil produces 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of the fuel compared to normal fossil diesel. Currently new diesel vehicles do not leave with a full tank but about five to eight liters before being delivered to BMW’s sales arm.
BMW’s plants in Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg, and Leipzig will now all be converting to the hydrotreated vegetable oil. Many gas stations across Germany offer the new fuel, and BMW has been using it in a handful of logistics trucks since March 2023.
“When it comes to climate protection, every ton of CO2 saved counts,” said BMW chairman Oliver Zipse in a statement. “The more than 250 million existing vehicles in Europe are an important factor here: Their CO2 balance could be significantly improved if the regenerative share of fuel was increased. We are going ahead: From January 2025, we will fill up all diesel models produced in Germany with HVO 100 before delivery to dealers — a high-quality diesel replacement with up to 90% lower CO2e emissions in the overall balance sheet.”
BMW – a company committed to making new ICE models till the bitter end – has said too that it has joined the eFuel Alliance, a large interest group representing some 170 companies around the globe aiming to see eFuels as a replacement for fossil fuels. Other companies in the group include Suzuki, Mazda, Bosch, Siemens, and Honeywell, among others.
Photo credits: BMW Group
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