Volkswagen NOxGate probe widens

A 6-year Volkswagen scheme to defraud emissions regulators, uncovered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and disclosed publicly in recent days, has caught the eye of other countries and stakeholders around the world.

In France, Finance Minister Michel Sapin called for an EU-wide investigation. Meanwhile, the Swiss Federal Roads Office and regulators in South Korea have launched investigations. In the US, the Obama Administration said it was beginning a criminal probe. And at least two class-action lawsuits have been launched in the US as a result of the scandal.

Renewable diesel really does reduce tailpipe emissions, says UPM

At the same time, UPM said that its BioVerno diesel ‘significantly reduces harmful tailpipe emissions.’

FEV Germany carried out a series of tests on UPM BioVerno’s effect on engine functionality and emissions with both a diesel blend containing 30% UPM BioVerno and 100% UPM BioVerno diesel. In addition to measuring engine output and fuel consumption, the tests focused on tailpipe emissions and the performance of UPM BioVerno compared with conventional diesel. UPM BioVerno was also tested in University of Vaasa, Finland using a heavy duty engine. These experiments were performed in the Technobothnia Education and Research Centre in Vaasa.

These emissions, such as particle mass, hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide, nitrogeous oxide and carbon monoxide emissions, were reduced by up to dozens of percent compared to conventional diesel fuel, depending on vehicle technology and blend. All the tests showed similar or improved efficiency of the engine, without compromising the engine power, when UPM BioVerno was introduced to the fuel blend. In addition, it could be shown that by using 100% UPM BioVerno diesel fuel consumption decreased.

The higher cetane number of UPM BioVerno diesel provide cleaner combustion in the engine resulting significantly lower tailpipe emissions. Clear differences compared to conventional diesel was gained even with a 30% diesel blend.

“The low tailpipe emissions make UPM BioVerno diesel an even more sustainable choice for drivers. We have developed a novel fuel for consumers using genuinely renewable sources with Finnish expertise and development work. The renewable, high-quality fuels with reduced emissions drive cleaner traffic, now and in the future,” says Sari Mannonen, Director of Sales and Marketing at UPM Biofuels.