Potential of biodiesel in the commercial vehicles sector revealed

A recent survey among vehicle manufacturers shows that the widespread use of biodiesel in the commercial vehicle sector is ‘technically possible’, according to the Association Quality Management Biodiesel (AGQM).

AGQM, along with the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) and the Association of the German Biofuel Industry (VDB) has published an approval list for operations with biodiesel (B20/B30/B100) of large engine and commercial vehicle manufacturers. According to a statement announcing the list, many trucks, buses and ‘mobile machines’ are now approved for higher blends of biofuels.

Among the vehicle and large diesel engine manufacturers covered in the survey were Caterpillar and Zeppelin. The updated approval list shows which engine and vehicle types are approved for the use of biodiesel.

"Our approval list shows that the use of biodiesel in the commercial vehicle sector is technically possible even with the currently most demanding emission standards. It is particularly useful to use climate-friendly biodiesel in heavy-duty transport, because there is no suitable alternative to liquid fuels in the long term”, said Richard Wicht, Managing Director at AGQM.

With the mineral oil industry tending to market B7 biodiesel blends, Stephen Arens, managing director of UFOP, suggests the list reveals untapped potential.

“Sustainably produced biodiesel is currently contributing significantly to the transport sector’s contribution to climate protection,” Arens said.

“The new list of vehicle approvals shows that significantly more greenhouse gases can be saved, if the existing possibilities were exhausted.”

In Germany, a greenhouse gas quota requires oil companies to reduce the emissions of their fuels by six percent in 2020.

"The commercial vehicle and engine manufacturers have created the conditions in good time so that the rising GHG quota can be met with higher biodiesel mixes," said Elmar Baumann, Managing Director at VDB.