Audi has finally announced that its V6 diesel engines manufactured as of mid-February 2022 will be compatible with hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), a type of renewable fuel (sometimes known as reFuels). The V6 lump is used anywhere from the A4 to the Q8. The automaker’s four-cylinder oil burners are also HVO-compatible as of June 2021.
According to the company, reFuels are an effective means of defossilisation, both in the short term and medium term. HVO is a sustainable fuel that enables CO2 reductions of between 70% and 95% compared to fossil diesel.
Its cetane rating is also significantly higher than fossil diesel, which helps produce a cleaner and more efficient combustion process. Audi powertrain development chief, Matthias Schober said: “As the cetane rating of HVO is around 30% higher, the combustibility of the engines is enhanced.”
“The positive effects of this are particularly noticeable when cold starting. We tested the effects on various components, the performance, and exhaust emissions in specific validation runs before granting approval,” he explained.
The manufacturing of HVO fuel uses waste cooking oil from the food industry or agricultural residues. The oils are converted into aliphatic hydrocarbons by incorporating hydrogen, which modifies the properties of the vegetable oils to make them suitable for use in modern diesel engines. They can be added to conventional diesel, replacing fossil components, or can even be used unmixed as 100% pure fuel.
At the time of writing, HVO diesel is already available at over 600 filling stations across Europe, with most of them located in Scandinavia. It’s not as common in Germany yet, because the EN 15940 fuel standard has yet to be incorporated into German fuel quality regulations. Audi models approved for HVO fuels have an XTL sticker in the fuel tank cap.
Audi CEO Oliver Hoffmann said: “With our ‘Vorsprung 2030’ strategy, we’re pursuing the clearly defined goal that all new models we launch worldwide as of 2026 will be all-electric only. In this way, we’re making an essential contribution on the road to carbon-neutral mobility.”
“At the same time, we’re optimising our existing combustion engine portfolio for more efficiency and lower emissions. One way we’re doing this is by creating the requisite technical foundations for the use of sustainable fuels such as HVO,” he added.
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