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Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa
In the future, car and truck drivers will also be able to fill up with diesel that was made entirely without petroleum. After the Bundestag, the Bundesrat also approved a federal government regulation this Friday that clears the way for the introduction of pure biodiesel. So-called paraffinic diesel fuels, which are made from waste materials and vegetable oils, will also be approved for public distribution. Some gas station operators are preparing to start on April 13th, but according to the ADAC, a comprehensive offer is not expected for the time being.
So far, the law in Germany only allows biofuel admixtures of 7 percent in diesel. According to the Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (ZDK), this already common B7 will in future be considered a “stock variety” at German gas stations, i.e. as a normal diesel fuel. There is now also a 10 percent admixture (B10). This eliminates the obligation to offer classic gasoline in addition to a similar gasoline mixture with ethanol (E10). This would free up capacity for alternatives, the ZDK welcomed the step.
Away from fossil diesel
In addition, the gas stations should also be allowed to sell 100 percent biodiesel. The abbreviation HVO stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils: vegetable oils treated with hydrogen. These substances are already produced in large refineries and used by Deutsche Bahn in diesel locomotives in order to be able to do without fossil diesel.
Some gas stations already sell HVO to closed customer groups, exclusively in public transport, logistics or agriculture. The Federal Association of Independent Gas Stations (BfT) said that the coming demand is expected to come primarily from freight forwarders: "We estimate that 80 percent of HVO use will be commercial." The substance is around 15 to 20 cents per liter more expensive than conventional ones Diesel. Companies can use it to meet their own goals for reducing CO₂ emissions.
At gas stations, HVO is labeled with the label XtL, which stands for “X-to-liquid,” literally a liquid obtained from any substance. E-diesel produced with green hydrogen without biogenic raw materials could also be marketed as XtL if such e-fuels were produced. However, this is still a thing of the future.
HVO is sometimes confused with the much-discussed e-fuels, with which some hope for a future for vehicles with internal combustion engines. The CDU transport politician Christoph Ploß accused the federal government of withholding e-fuels from German drivers, which have long been available elsewhere. In fact, HVO are already approved in other EU countries such as Italy and Sweden, and Germany is now following suit.
In principle, the XtL fuel could also be obtained from fossil oil or natural gas, but then it would not be climate-friendly. To prevent this, the traffic light coalition also changed a law on the procurement of clean vehicles. HVO made from fossil materials or palm oil may no longer be used in the vehicles supported under this law. The Federal Council also approved this project on Friday.
Few car models released for HVO
Since biodiesel causes less CO₂ than conventional diesel, this is also intended to make a contribution to climate protection. It is questionable, however, to what extent the new fuel will be available in the future. According to the Federal Environment Ministry, used cooking oils - for example used frying fat from the catering trade - are already used entirely as an admixture in transport.
The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) nevertheless spoke of a “good day for the environment and the climate”. Renewable fuels could make a significant contribution to achieving climate goals in the transport sector, says VDA President Hildegard Müller. »On the path to climate-neutral transport, renewable fuels are the appropriate and urgently necessary addition to the mainstay of electromobility.«
The fuel should not cause any damage to the engine. “Modern diesel engines are generally suitable for this,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing. “There is no need for any technical adjustments or conversions to the vehicles or the nationwide gas station network,” says a statement from the ADAC, among others. However, according to the car club, manufacturers have so far only approved a few models for the use of HVO.
ani/ahh/dpa