Good news for the millions of French motorists who drive diesel. A biofuel with good ecological qualities, and until now reserved for professional fleets, has just been authorized for individuals.
Individual mobility is both a central and sensitive topic in terms of energy transition. Central, because transport is one of the sectors that emits the most greenhouse gases (GHG) in France, and sensitive, because the individual car remains essential for a large part of the population. To reconcile the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transport and the population’s need for mobility, the electric car is often presented as the only solution.
But as virtuous as it may be, electric motorization comes up against several realities: its high cost makes it unaffordable for many people, and the complete replacement of the thermal vehicle fleet would require the production of tens of millions of new vehicles, with all the pollution that this implies. In this context, it may be useful to extend the lifespan of vehicles already in circulation, in order to amortize their carbon footprint as much as possible, while finding solutions to reduce their GHG emissions.
And that’s good, because they already exist, such as biofuels of plant origin. Among these, we find HVO 100, a biodiesel intended for diesel engines that has several interesting ecological and health advantages. On the one hand, its cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over its life cycle, from its production to its consumption, are 50 to 90% lower than those of traditional diesel. On the other hand, its emissions of fine particles, pollutants that are very dangerous for health, are also 65% lower than those of conventional diesel.
Partly produced from old vegetable oils and hydrogen-treated fat residues, HVO 100 does not require as much agricultural land for its production as other biofuels, and therefore competes less with food production. Finally, according to statements from fuel supplier Altens, relayed by Auto PlusHVO 100 would not cause any excess consumption or loss of power and would even reduce engine noise.
Until now in Europe, this diesel with multiple advantages was reserved for so-called captive professional vehicle fleets, i.e. those which have their own fuel storage, and it was therefore not accessible to individuals. But things have just changed, first in Germany since May 29, and now in France since June 26, 2024, following a decree finally authorizing the sale of HVO 100 to individuals.
This fuel should therefore soon appear in service stations in France, certainly under the name of “Dazole XTL”, as it is designated in the decree. This is therefore excellent news for owners of Diesel cars concerned about their ecological footprint.
However, it should be noted that HVO100 / Diesel XTL is currently more expensive than conventional diesel, by 10 to 20 cents per litre, which could be a barrier to its adoption. However, it is not impossible that the Government will subsequently decide to adjust the taxation applicable to this biodiesel, in order to encourage its use by motorists.