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Volvo Group makes manufacturing switch

Volvo Group’s Wacol QLD facility will be the first of its kind to fill new trucks with HVO100 fuel, rather than traditional diesel
Trucks built at Volvo's Wacol facility will now be filled with HVO100 fuel.

Volvo Group Australia (VGA) has announced a huge step in its 2030 emissions reductions targets and says from December 2024 all Volvo and Mack trucks produced at the company’s Wacol facility will be filled with hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO100) instead of diesel fuel.

HVO100 is a renewable and sustainable synthetic fuel made from vetted waste vegetable oils and animal fats. It has a low carbon footprint, zero sulfur and can be used in Volvo Group engines without any modifications.

It can be used as a standalone fuel or blended with diesel without impacting service intervals or engine components and has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuels.

“The recent recognition of HVO100 as a fuel on the Australian market has allowed us to speed up our adoption of this renewable fuel as a part of our manufacturing process,” VGA President and CEO Martin Merrick says.

“While HVO is not strictly a zero emissions fuel, it is a fossil free alternative that reduces well to wheel emissions by up to 90 per cent, which makes a significant step forward in reducing our environmental impact.

“Incorporating HV100 into our manufacturing process is just once part of our multi-pronged approach to decarbonisation.

“We’ve been very clear that the future of fossil free transport here in Australia will still utilise the internal combustion engine, however the fuel that the engine consumes will no doubt continue to evolve as we move into a fossil free future.”

The change also applies to Mack trucks built at the facility.
The change also applies to Mack trucks built at the facility. Image: Supplied – Volvo Group

Volvo Group has adopted science-based emissions targets, which include net zero value chain emissions by 2040 to allow it to meet net zero 2050 targets.

Volvo Trucks first adopted its HVO first fill program at its factory in Tuve, Sweden in 2022, but the adoption of the program at the Wacol facility is the first time a multi-branded Volvo Group manufacturing facility has implemented the approach.

The Group recently signed a 12-month agreement with Ampol to supply HVO100 to its fleet of trucks built at the Wacol factory.

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