Volvo Trucks Extends Bio-Fuel Powertrain Range

Volvo Trucks announces it has extended its lineup of biodiesel powertrains to create a range of trucks claiming CO2 emissions reductions of up to 70%.

The expansion allows any of its trucks to be run exclusively on biodiesel B100 to accelerate the reduction in greenhouse gases for fleets with a here-and-now solution. This adds a further choice for renewable fuel options from the truck maker including biodiesel, HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oils) and biogas. B100 is now available for a wide selection of engines in the Volvo FL, FE, FM, FMX, FH and FH16 models.

The well-to-wheel CO2 reduction from using biodiesel is between 30% and 70% compared to traditional diesel fuel, depending on the type of raw material used to produce the fuel. Volvo’s current range of medium- and heavy-duty trucks are now offered with powertrains that run on diesel, biodiesel, HVO, CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquified natural gas), Bio-CNG, Bio-LNG and electricity.

The truck maker says it remains committed to the internal-combustion engine as one of three pillars in Volvo Trucks’ decarbonization strategy, where the other two are battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric. It expects this strategy will support the company’s aim that all sold Volvo trucks should have net-zero emissions by 2040.

Biodiesel can now be run in its 5-, 8-, 13- and 17-liter diesel engines with the availability of variants differing in certain markets.m All of Volvo Trucks’ diesel engines are also certified to run on 100% HVO fuel that can be made from a range of materials such as vegetable oils but also waste products.

Jan Hjelmgren, head of product management and quality at Volvo Trucks, says: “Our customers are asking for solutions to reduce their carbon emissions and renewable fuels is an attractive option – it’s simply an efficient way to reduce CO2 from transport here and now. As a global truck maker, we need to cater to a wide variety of transport needs and market conditions, which is why we do not only invest in new technologies but also in solutions that decarbonize transport in the short and long term.”