Iveco and Eni will explore using alternative fuels as well as hydrogen and electricity
Truck maker Iveco and Italian energy company Eni announced that they have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to explore potential cooperation on sustainable mobility initiatives in the commercial vehicle sector in Europe and accelerate the decarbonisation of transport, in which both have been active for some time.
IVECO and Eni aim to define an integrated sustainable mobility platform for commercial fleets by offering innovative vehicles powered by biofuels and sustainable energy vectors ‒ such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biofuel, biomethane, hydrogen and electricity ‒ and the related infrastructure.
The areas of collaboration envisaged by the LoI include Eni’s offer of 100 per cent pure HVO for Iveco heavy trucks equipped with engines able to operate on it. High-quality HVO biofuel can be used in its pure form in all of the most recent diesel engines. It is a high-quality biofuel derived from materials of vegetable origin and waste, produced using the proprietary Ecofining™ technology at Eni’s Venice and Gela biorefineries. 100 per cent pure HVO enables CO2 emission reductions of 60 per cent to 90 per cent (calculated throughout the lifecycle) compared to the standard fossil fuel mix.
Moreover, Eni and Iveco also intend to speed up the market availability of biomethane, a renewable fuel made from agro-industrial waste, which can be both compressed (CNG) and liquified (LNG). This will be made possible through partnerships in Italy and abroad.
The non-exclusive collaboration also embraces initiatives in favour of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as the related infrastructure. Iveco has a launch plan for new battery electric and then hydrogen fuel cell models, while Eni intends to set up a network of charging points.
The Eni Live Station in San Giuliano, near Mestre (Venice), is the first hydrogen filling station in an urban area in Italy; this will be followed by a second station in San Donato Milanese.