Volkswagen commits to diesel for the 2020s with cleaner engines Car News

Volkswagen has demonstrated its commitment to diesel by developing engines that can use suitable diesel fuels, which are said to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 95% compared to conventional diesels.

All models delivered since June using VW’s four-cylinder TDI diesel powertrains can be used with paraffinic diesel, a newly developed fuel containing bio-components.

While Volkswagen has focused its recent efforts on ramping up its electric vehicle offering, this decision shows that the company is receptive to other ways to reduce its carbon footprint, in its desire to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050.

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This is a different approach than many of its competitors, who have made bold statements about going all-electric over the next 10 years. For comparison, Volkswagen has announced plans to increase the share of fully electric cars sold in Europe to over 70% by 2030.

Meanwhile, the share of diesel in particular has fallen sharply, a trend that began with VW’s Dieselgate scandal in 2015. In the UK, where diesel once accounted for around half of new car sales, it does not. represents more than 5%.

A VW spokesperson said: “Alongside [the] accelerating efforts to ramp up in the field of electric mobility, Volkswagen is continuing to develop the existing range with combustion engines.

“In this way, the company responds to different customer needs while taking into account the preferences of the drive system which vary internationally and the respective terms and conditions. “

The company added that paraffinic diesel fuel could be particularly attractive to customers of fleets, which use a mix of electric and conventional vehicles. He predicts that the fuel market share in the road transport sector could reach 20 to 30% in Europe within 10 years.

Paraffinic fuels are produced from biological residues and wastes such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). These are then converted to hydrocarbons by reaction with hydrogen and can be added to diesel fuels in any amount. V-Power Diesel and HVO are currently available in the UK.

Volkswagen added that other electric fuels such as Power-to-Liquid (PtL) will be offered in the future, which are produced from regenerative sources using CO2 and electricity. In this process, excess green energy could be used in their production.

Thomas Garbe, Volkswagen’s head of petrol and diesel, said: “By using environmentally friendly fuels in approved Volkswagen models, we are enabling customers across Europe to significantly reduce their CO2 emissions as soon as possible. fuel is available locally.