BMW is adding vegetable oil to its new diesel models

BMW also recently joined the eFuel Alliance interest group, which represents more than 170 companies worldwide

Much like Toyota, BMW believes that a number of different technologies are needed to achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions across the automotive industry, and from January all new diesel models produced by BMW in Germany will first be filled with HVO 100 hydrotreated vegetable oil.

The fuel comes from Finnish manufacturer Neste and will be used at BMW’s Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg and Leipzig plants. It produces 90% less greenhouse gas emissions over the fuel’s life cycle than regular fossil diesel. However, while BMW will now use the fuel at its factories, currently new diesel cars are not filled with fuel before leaving the factory, with just five to eight liters filled before being delivered to BMW’s sales department.

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Neste’s HVO 100 fuel is made from a variety of waste products, including cooking oils, residues and other renewable raw materials. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, it also has better cold-start performance than a typical diesel engine. The fuel is also available at many filling stations across Germany, and BMW has been using it on some of its logistics trucks since March 2023.

“When it comes to climate protection, every tonne of CO2 saved counts,” said BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse. “The more than 250 million existing vehicles in Europe are an important factor: if fuel availability increases regeneration share, their CO2 balance could be significantly improved. We are going ahead: starting from January 2025, we will fill all diesel models produced in Germany with HVO before delivery to dealers. 100 – a high-quality diesel alternative that reduces overall balance sheet CO2 emissions by up to 90%.”

The automaker also recently joined the eFuel Alliance. This large interest group represents more than 170 companies around the world that want to see eFuels become more common. The group’s main companies include Alpina, Horse, Suzuki, Bosch, Repsol, Siemens, Iveco, Mazda, Honeywell and Husqvarna.