The amount of biofuels is naturally finite. Biofuels could be complemented by e-fuels – fuels produced from electricity and CO₂. In terms of diesel engines, Fischer-Tropsch diesel is particularly interesting. The great thing about it is: It has the same physical-chemical qualities as HVO. As a result, all cars are automatically authorised to use it.

The official authorisation under the European standard EN 15940 has been in effect ex works since 2021 for all models equipped with the latest four-cylinder diesel engines (TDI) and since 2022 for the six-cylinder diesel. A “XTL” sticker on the petrol cap cover informs customers of this fact.

One example I can think of is companies that have mixed fleets consisting of electric vehicles and conventional petrol engines. Paraffinic fuels like HVO can be a very sensible complement. They facilitate carbon savings of about 70 percent to 95 percent in comparison with conventional diesel. They are sold simply as HVO or under various brand names like NesteMy and Eni HOVlution. The key aspect for users is that the fuel meets the requirements of the quality standard EN 15940 – petrol stations usually display a sign that bears this information.

HVO is already sold by publicly accessible petrol stations in very many European countries. In Germany, HVO is allowed only for closed fleets at the moment. This means that individual customers must have their own HVO petrol station located on their own company premises. But once drivers leave Germany, they can easily fill up their vehicles with HVO in many other countries. For instance, paraffinic diesel is available nationally in the Netherlands, and the network is growing in Spain. We think that Germany will have created the regulatory framework for the public sale of HVO starting in April 2024. Until then, drivers can use fuel blends that are capable of substantially reducing CO₂ emissions.

Diesel fuels that satisfy the requirements of the standard EN590 and are blended with paraffinic diesel are much more widely used than completely paraffinic diesel. These fuel blends include Diesel R33, Shell Blue Diesel, OMV EcoMotionDiesel, Aral Diesel Futura. All contain renewable fuel components, and the level of CO₂ emissions declines based on the particular mixing ratio. Use of these products can lower CO₂ emissions by at least 25 percent. Many of our fleet operators would be satisfied with such reductions if they were unable to switch to an all electric fleet – in particular because the 25 percent reduction in CO₂ would enable them to make progress in their sustainability matrix over the next three to four years. By the way, these fuels may be used in all diesel engines – including older vehicles that do not have the XTL sticker. But the sector’s future belongs completely to renewable biofuels and e-fuels like PtL (power to liquid).

E-fuels are a product of the future. Most likely, it will take until 2028 at the earliest before customers will have a real opportunity to fill up their vehicles with such fuels. We are currently in the ramp-up phase. E-fuels, something that is also called synthetic fuels, have a good opportunity to nearly replace conventional fossil fuels on a nearly one-to-one basis – and consumers should not have to make any large investments in the process. These fuels are produced with the help of CO₂ and electricity from regenerative sources. The end product is either synthetic diesel or synthetic petrol. E-fuels include X to liquid (XtL), GtL and PtL. First, you produce synthetic gas from various raw materials. You then apply the Fischer-Tropsch process to create diesel fuel (synthetic diesel) that fulfils the requirements of the standard EN 15940. This is the same standard that applies to HVO.

We have now made so much progress in terms of 100 percent approval of HVO or XTL that we can confer it for models going back to 2019. Customers simply have to stop by a Volkswagen service partner. The service partner will determine whether the vehicle can use HVO/XTL. If it is, approval and the sticker confirming it are granted. Our goal is to provide retrospective approval across Europe for models reaching back to 2015.

For petrol engines, we are already familiar with the fuel E10 (biofuel) that includes 10 percent ethanol. In Brazil, we have even gained experience with engines fuelled completely with ethanol. We are confident that we could approve our vehicles in Europe for E20, provided that we have the appropriate standard and fuel quality. We are currently testing E20 throughout all of our brands and platforms in a comprehensive process.

The first E20 petrol station in Germany was opened recently in Mannheim. The ethanol being supplied there is primarily produced from waste materials like straw to get away from the conventional use of agricultural products. But, for legal reasons, this petrol station is not yet allowed to sell to the public, but only to fleet customers who are testing E20 as part of a closed fleet test with a total of 85 vehicles.

In southern Germany, customers have expressed a lot of interest in the work, particularly in the fleet area, and are reviewing suitable locations for other E20 petrol stations. The general public is also really excited about the project, even when they are told that this is hardly a cure-all.

We still have some work to do with E20, particularly in terms of standardisation and legal regulations. We are currently working with third parties on the development of a corresponding standard and hope that the Fuel Quality Directive can be appropriately amended on both the national and European levels. Our declared goal is to take the desires of industry and customers into consideration and officially authorise E20.

We would need from 3,000 to 5,000 hydrogen stations for cars to meet national demand in Germany. In the transport sector, one possible option would be models in which such companies as logistics service providers could build their own hydrogen stations to supply their fleets. For long-distance transport on major traffic arteries, models have shown that you would need about 150 hydrogen stations to ensure 24/7 availability of the fuel.

As a diesel driver, I have to say one thing: The new fuels are a shade better. During a cold start, conventional diesel will shake a bit more than HVO or Diesel R33. In contrast, the mileage of 100 percent HVO is only minimally higher.