Published Tuesday 25th January 2022
Why isn’t it central to policy makers’ strategies?
It’s a big mystery to me. HVO (Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil) is a direct drop-in replacement for diesel, that has a claimed potential to reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions by 90%. HVO is available now in the UK for commercial operators. It can be used in nearly every Euro 6 diesel engine out there.
It is more expensive (approx.10ppl more than diesel at the wholesale level at the time of writing), but there is no additional capital cost, unlike other alternative fuels.
It therefore is arguably a low-cost solution to achieve significant greenhouse gas emission reductions compared with the alternatives. Moreover, it can be used to power existing diesel fleets right now. Unlike alternatives, there is no restriction on range caused by lack of either charging infrastructure, or gas dispensing filling stations, because HVO is fully miscible with standard diesel. In Scandinavia, they are already convinced, with reportedly more than 25% of liquid diesels sold now being HVO.
The big question to me is – where is the UK government support and encouragement? Reality is that apart from limited CNG/ LNG applications, there is a very long lead time before the Government encouraged alternatives (Battery EV and Hydrogen) will be available for practical widespread application for commercial fleets. So why isn’t HMG doing more to support and encourage HVO use? Never mind future date targets for withdrawing fossil fuel vehicles from sale – Just think of the immediate CO2 impact of say the entire parc of Euro 6 diesel vehicles operating with 80% HVO by the end of 2022.
About the Author: Ken Rogers, formerly MD of a UK Logistics company, Ken has a unique insight into the underlying cost base of Logistics suppliers. Working interactively with suppliers, he has built up a track record of developing innovative solutions with substantial cost savings to meet clients’ logistics requirements..