Volvo Cars tests new Finnish fossil-free petrol: “Great potential”

With the help of Volvo Cars, the semi-state-owned Finnish fuel company Neste has now reached the final phase of tests for a new type of petrol that consists of 75 percent renewable raw materials.

The new petrol is a so-called drop-in solution that is mixed with regular petrol. It can be used both in all cars that can handle E10 petrol.

At present, 75 per cent of petrol consists of renewable raw materials – a figure that will eventually increase to 95 per cent. The exact proportion of biocomponents in petrol is not yet nailed down, but is due to the fact that the mix can be adjusted during the final phase of the development of the fuel.

– We are currently testing various raw materials such as lignin and other residual waste products from the forestry and agricultural industries. However, at present we can not tell exactly what the mix in the final petrol will look like, says Mats Hultman, responsible at Neste for cooperation with the automotive industry, to Ny Teknik.

New petrol fulfills the reduction obligation

The new fuel has the working name “Renewable petrol 85” and fulfills the reduction obligation with flying colors. At present, the level of reduction obligation is 4.2 per cent and will probably increase to 6 per cent at the end of the first half of the year. Thereafter, the reduction obligation is expected to increase gradually so that the level in 2030 is 28 percent for petrol.

Read more: New E10 replaces 95-octane petrol – what happens now?

The energy content of the new petrol is the same as for regular petrol – and the cars will therefore not consume larger volumes as is the case with, for example, Ethanol E85.

– Our fossil-free petrol can be mixed in any way to, for example, E5 or E7, but since a lot is now about E10, it is the mixture that we are now focusing on, says Mats Hultman.

Mats Hultman

The tests with Volvo Cars take place through Skövde-based Powertrain Engineering, Geelys and Volvo Cars’ joint subsidiaries that develop powertrains and the next generation of hybrid systems. According to Volvo Cars, it is precisely for hybrid cars that Neste’s new petrol comes into its own.

– We follow the development of renewable fuels, such as Neste’s renewable petrol, with great interest and we believe that it has great potential for use in hybrid cars. The combination of our products and Neste’s renewable petrol will make it possible for vehicle owners to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 65 percent, says Michael Fleiss, CEO of Powertrain Engineering Sweden, in a press release.

Read more: Now Volvo’s new engine company is taking shape

Will evaluate the result

The testing takes place with the help of two vehicles in traffic and in a test bed at Volvo Cars. The result will be evaluated in the coming months before commercial tests and launch are then carried out.

Read more: “We do not trick our numbers for HVO”

Neste claims to be the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and renewable aviation fuel, and the company hopes that renewable petrol will have a similar role for petrol cars as renewable diesel has for diesel cars.


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