Drive now on to push vegetable oil as an environmentally friendly alternative to diesel

Diesel car owners are being urged to switch to a specially treated vegetable oil to reduce the impact of their driving on the environment.

It is part of a campaign by a car maker and fuel seller to cut the use of diesel and increase consumption of “greener” hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

The low-carbon biofuel can be used as a direct replacement for – or as a mix with – regular diesel. It is produced by using waste plant-matter and hydrogen.

That combination means it does not release any additional harmful pollutants and can result in a 90pc net reduction in CO2 emissions.

In most cases, especially with newer diesel cars, there will be no need to modify the vehicle or the engine but drivers are still advised to check with their dealer.

Because it is cleaner, HVO is expected to meet a large proportion of the increase in biofuel supply to decarbonise the transport sector. That makes it an important cleaner-power source on the road to electrification.

As well as being used as a direct replacement fuel for passenger cars, it can also power fleet, plant and machinery equipment and can be mixed in any ratio with diesel.

It is also claimed that the driving performance of diesel and HVO is virtually identical.

The campaign to switch to HVO was jointly launched in Dublin today by the Skoda brand, which sells big numbers of diesels, and Certa, one of the country’s biggest fuel suppliers.

While there are only a handful of HVO outlets at the moment, Certa announced an increased rollout of fuel pumps – with distinctive pink colours – to more forecourts around the country.

It is also in the process of upgrading its network of 41 unmanned, pay@pump forecourts so HVO will be available at all pumps alongside other fuels.

Because HVO biofuel is relatively new, it usually costs a little more than diesel (171.7c/litre according to the latest AA price list) but, for now, Certa said it would match the diesel price.

Certa is part of the DCC plc group that operates in key areas of energy, healthcare and technology.

Skoda, meanwhile, says it is “acutely aware” that sales of new diesel and petrol-powered cars are scheduled to end in 2035.

In the countdown to that date, it sees HVO playing an important role as a transition fuel and a cleaner alternative to diesel.

Diesels accounted for 22pc of the passenger car market last year, which is still a significant number. But as people are moving to full electric or hybrid, diesels’ share is nothing like the sales of a few years back. All new Skoda diesels are HVO-ready as are all diesel models made from mid-2021.

Skoda brand director John Donegan said many buyers were still choosing diesel for a variety of reasons. They may not have access to a home charger or may want a car with an extensive range.

“For these motorists, it makes sense to switch to HVO as the fuel becomes more widely available,” said Mr Donegan. He said he hoped the campaign would increase awareness of HVO among all owners of diesel cars.

Unlike first-generation biofuels, which are made from crops such as rapeseed and soy, HVO is second generation. That means it is made from 100pc renewable and pre-existing bio-waste products, mainly used cooking and vegetable oil from food-industry waste.

Also, unlike conventional biofuel, hydrogen is used as a catalyst instead of methanol, making it cleaner than any other fossil-fuel alternative currently available, it is claimed.

HVO is also odourless and is more suited to being stored than conventional diesel.

Its use generally means a 10pc reduction in the consumption of diesel exhaust emissions removal agent AdBlue, which helps to close the price gap between the two fuels.

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