Audi said in March 2021 that it would cease development of new combustion engines.
The company has moved one step closer to its “goal of carbon-neutral transportation” by approving several of its current six-cylinder diesel engines for usage with the renewable fuel HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil).
The corporation has lofty goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.
“We’re improving the efficiency and emissions of our existing combustion engine range.” “One way we’re achieving this is by laying the technical groundwork for the use of sustainable fuels like HVO,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Audi’s Chief Development Officer.
The A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, and Q7 and Q8 SUVs will soon be powered by HVO. The Q5 will be added to the list at the beginning of March, followed by the A6 Allroad in the summer. Audi thinks that this new alternative will lower CO2 emissions by 70-95 percent when compared to diesel vehicles.
V6 engines that run on renewable fuels
However, that is not the sole advantage of running on HVO. In addition, the fuel has a substantially higher cetane rating, resulting in more efficient and cleaner combustion as compared to standard diesel engines.
“Because the cetane rating of HVO is roughly 30% greater, the engine’s combustibility is improved.”
The benefits of this are most obvious when cold commencing. Before granting permission, we investigated the effects on numerous components, performance, and exhaust emissions in special validation runs,” said Matthias Schober, Audi’s head of powertrain development for V-TFSI, TDI, and PHEV.
Is refuelling a possibility?
The concern now is whether there will be enough HVO at stations for the cars to operate. Renewable fuel is currently available at about 600 filling stations in Europe, which is not a large number. Nonetheless, it is a positive step toward the abolition of highly polluting fossil fuels.
