Biofuel testing is under way for HGVs / LGVs

With fuel prices eating heavily into the profits of haulage firms, research into creating a new biofuel would be of great interest.

Therefore a series of different companies have teamed up to test a new fuel, that if proven successful, will mean a big change for HGV drivers in the years to come.
The new fuel, biofuel Dimethyl Ether (DME), is being tested in Sweden this month as part of a four-year project from the European Union. The companies, Volvo, ETC, Haldor Topsoe, Chemrec, Delphi, Preem and Total are all heavily involved in the research.

Volvo have provided 14 HGVs for the experiment, all of them have been converted to accept the new biofuel. ETC will be monitoring and evaluating the performance of the fuel. Delphi are to create specially manufactured fuel-injection equipment for the HGV engines.

Total are to develop the new biofuel technology. If the project proves a success it will not only reduce costs for the haulage industry, but also offer significant benefits to the environment. The project has also received significant investment totalling £22.4 million, which has come from the EU, the Swedish Energy Agency and the companies involved themselves.

Leif Johansson, chief executive of Volvo, stated:

‘The BioDME project is an example of what the next step could look like and illustrates the possibilities of producing renewable fuel on a major scale.’

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