Vauxhall Vivaro and Movano are biofuelled for the future

Furthering its commitment to offering cost-effective technologies to reduce emissions, Vauxhall is proud to announce the introduction of biodiesel B30 technology to its larger panel vans.

As Britain’s number one manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, GM plans to trial biodiesel B30 with one of its key fleet customers using two van models, including the British-built Vivaro.

The biodiesel B30-compatible models use the existing 2.0 CDTI Vivaro and 2.5 CDTI 100PS and 120PS Movano engines, and offer up to 20 per cent fewer CO2 emissions on a ‘source to wheels’ basis compared to the standard Euro 4-compliant diesel units.

As part of a controlled fleet trial, a number of vans will run on biodiesel B30 across the country as GM and Vauxhall investigate the long-term potential for the fuel in the UK, and look towards a more widespread distribution network for it.

Biodiesel is made from naturally renewable sources such as sunflower and rapeseed oils, where the oil is extracted and transformed into a methyl ester. Biodiesel B30 is a mixture of 30 per cent biodiesel and 70 per cent conventional diesel. Emissions from the fuel are reduced because plants grown for conversion to biodiesel actually absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Whilst biodiesel can be produced from a variety of sources, quality is critical, and the manufacturer is also calling on the government to look at establishing a quality specification for the fuel.

Vauxhall Managing Director, Bill Parfitt, said: “Fuel efficiency is already one of the top priorities for our commercial vehicle customers. Payload and duty cycles mean downsizing is generally not an option, so achieving further CO2 reductions becomes a real challenge. The introduction of biodiesel B30-compatible models to our van range is one way GM can help customers reduce their CO2 emissions on a ‘source to wheels’ basis and is part of General Motors’ wider commitment to alternative fuels and advanced propulsion systems – we’re very pleased to be the first manufacturer planning to fully trial the fuel in the UK.

"Of course, governments have an important role to play as well, specifically in terms of ensuring the quality and wider availability of the fuel, and providing incentives to encourage customers to buy it."

The biodiesel B30-compatible vans aren’t the only vehicles offered by General Motors to successfully use biofuels. Swedish premium brand Saab introduced petrol-based BioPower vehicles to the UK in 2005, which automatically sense and are capable of running on any combination of petrol and bioethanol E85.

GM has a broad portfolio of technologies that it is developing and bringing to market to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and increase energy diversity. The launch trial of biodiesel B30 in Vauxhall Vivaro and Movano vans further illustrates the company's commitment to promoting alternative fuels as part of this strategy.