BMW Group demands HVO100-only vehicles be included in fleet legislation

Photo: BMW Group

The BMW Group used its presence at the “Fleet Europe Days” Oct. 22-23 in Luxembourg to show fleet operators ways to decarbonize their fleets.

In addition to fully electrified vehicles, the focus was on fuels based on renewable raw materials, so-called carbon-neutral fuels (CNF).

Their advantage: the potential to save CO2.

With more than 250 million existing vehicles in Europe, their CO2 footprint can be improved if the proportion of renewable fuels is increased.

A new technical solution used by the BMW Group is proof that all BMW diesels in a fleet are fueled exclusively with HVO100, which is 100 percent hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel.

Refueling data from the vehicle is compared with data from the fleet operator’s payment system.

This means that the fuel used by the vehicle can be traced seamlessly, an important step towards a CNF-only fleet for fleet customers.

“Our goal is always to have more environmentally friendly and efficient vehicles on the road,” said Martin Kaufmann, the BMW Group’s head of powertrain development. “With the diesel replacement fuel HVO100, we have an opportunity to reduce the CO2 footprint of vehicle fleets. Especially in the area of fuels that are not based on fossil fuels, we see a potential that we are ready to realize.”

Bernhard Kuhnt, BMW Group’s head of sales for the European region, added, “Fleet customers are extremely important for sales in Europe and at the same time diesel remains a very good powertrain technology for many fleets. The use of HVO100 offers a way to quickly reduce CO2 emissions that takes into account individual use cases—whether driving long distances or towing a trailer—and can thus help our fleet customers reduce their CO2 footprint.”

Initial contractual agreements with the operators of large BMW diesel fleets in Germany and Italy are imminent.

These test fleets, together with the internal BMW Group fleet that has already been launched, will provide important data and findings for the further improvement of the technical solution.

Since January, all diesel models produced in Germany are being fuelled with HVO100 before delivery to dealers.

BMW said this step underlines its commitment to making decarbonization possible and achievable today.

 Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ HVO100 is used at the BMW Group plants in Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg and Leipzig.

The fuel from Finnish manufacturer Neste enables a CO2e reduction of up to 90 percent compared to fossil diesel.

The initial filling at the plants before delivery to the BMW Group dealer organization is 5 to 8 liters (1.32 to 2.11 gallons), depending on the model.

For the BMW Group, technological openness is a top priority.

“Options instead of bans” is its motto.

The company continues to invest in a broad portfolio, from battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells to highly efficient combustion engines that can run on renewable fuels.

The BMW Group has long approved its vehicles for a variety of regenerative fuels: HVO according to EN15940 as well as B10 and eFuels according to EN590 for diesel engines.

In addition, E20/25 and eFuels according to EN228 for gasoline engines.

Regulations, however, must catch up, BMW Group stated.

To accelerate the uptake of renewable fuels across the market, the BMW Group is calling for an ambitious implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), including national quotas that require at least a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from fuels to be transposed into national law by 2025.

“The BMW Group demands that every measure to reduce CO2 emissions is taken into account at every stage of a vehicle’s lifecycle,” said Thomas Becker, BMW Group’s head of policy, external relations and sustainability. “This also includes the use of renewable fuels—especially for vehicles that primarily run on CO2-neutral fuel. These must be formally recognized in EU fleet legislation. The fuels are available, what we need now is a pragmatic and quickly implementable regulation that enables companies to develop innovations and make them marketable.”