Ford Transit vans can now officially be run on used cooking oil, at least in parts of Europe where the car-maker has approved the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a fuel source.
The US manufacturer says the oil has been tested in its 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine (the same engine used in the latest Transit models here) to ensure no modifications were required, and that vehicle servicing wasn’t affected by the switch.
Also known as renewable diesel, HVO is made in a process using hydrogen as a catalyst and is said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent compared to conventional fossil fuels.
Ford says HVO-powered vehicles will also emit fewer nitrogen oxide emissions and particulates than other diesel vehicles, and can be mixed in the same fuel tank as petroleum-based diesel.
HVO, which can also incorporate waste animal fats and fish oil, is not only cleaner-burning and helps diesel engines start more easily in low temperatures, but has a longer shelf life than conventional diesel.
At the moment, it’s only available at selected fuel stations in Europe – more specifically in Scandinavia and the Baltics – where it has been collected from restaurants and commercial kitchens and is sold in a pure form or blended with regular diesel.
“Enabling our vans to run on fuel made from waste, including used cooking oil, may sound far-fetched but using hydrotreated vegetable oil is, in fact, a very real way in which Transit drivers and fleet operators will soon be able to help everybody enjoy improved air quality,” said Ford Europe’s general manager of commercial vehicles, Hans Schep.
As in Europe, where an EU initiative called RecOil aims to increase waste oil collection including from households to boost biodiesel production, some companies in Australia already collect used cooking oil from restaurants, catering firms, schools and homes.
However, Ford is yet to confirm whether the environmentally-friendlier diesel substitute can be run in Australian Transit vehicles without voiding their warranty.