Volvo Group Australia (VGA) has announced that it is switching to fill locally produced truck models with different fuel instead of diesel.
From this month, all Volvo and Mack trucks built at Volvo’s Wacol factory in Queensland will be filled with Hydro Treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) instead of diesel fuel.
HVO100 is a renewable and sustainable synthetic fuel made from vetted waste vegetable oils and animal fats. It has low carbon footprint, zero sulfur and can be used in Volvo Group engines without any modifications.
It can be used as a standalone fuel or blended with diesel without impacting service intervals or engine components. HVO100 is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuels.
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“The recent recognition of HVO100 as a fuel on the Australian market has allowed us to speed up our adoption of this renewable fuel as a part of our manufacturing process,” Volvo Group Australia president and CEO Martin Merrick says.
“While HVO is not strictly a zero emissions fuel, it is a fossil free alternative that reduces well to wheel emissions by up to 90 per cent, which makes a significant step forward in reducing our environmental impact.
“We will continue to take steps to cut our emissions and meet our decarbonisation targets by thinking globally while acting locally.”
Volvo Trucks first began its HVO first fill program in 2022 at its Swedish factory in Tuve, with this announcement representing the first time a multi-branded Volvo Group manufactuirng facility has implemented this approach with fossil free fuels.
Volvo Group has adopted science-based emissions targets as a result the group is targeting net zero value chain emissions by 2040 to allow it to meet net-zero targets by 2050.
Volvo Group recently signed a 12-month agreement with Ampol to supply HVO100 to its fleet of trucks built at the Wacol factory.
“Incorporating HVO100 into our manufacturing process is just one part of our multi-pronged approach to decarbonisation,” Merrick says.
“We’ve been very clear that the future of fossil free transport here in Australia will still utilise the internal combustion engine, however the fuel that the engine consumes will no doubt continue to evolve as we move to a fossil free future.”
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