Supermarket chain Colruyt is going to switch its current fleet of diesel trucks to HVO100 biodiesel – 100% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, which is made entirely from biomass.
The HVO100 diesel reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel and fits into existing diesel engines without technical modifications. It is yet another transitional measure toward completely emission-free goods transport.
Temporary solution
Colruyt emphasises that this is a temporary solution: “HVO100 is not an end point, but a complementary step toward a completely emission-free logistics network.”
The Colruyt Group had previously purchased twenty battery-electric trucks, as well as two hydrogen trucks. Additionally, tests are underway with two H2 trucks as part of the European innovation project H2Haul.
Emissions-free by 2030
Now, Colruyt is switching to biodiesel for the remaining 15 44-ton tractors and some 400 box and delivery vans. The fuel will initially be offered to the Colruyt Group trucks by DATS24 at the distribution centers in Halle and Ollignies (Hainaut).
The biodiesel will serve only as a transitional fuel in the transition to battery electric and green hydrogen. The Colruyt Group aims to make its transport emissions-free by 2030. The next step? By 2035, all freight transport carried out by and for Colruyt Group must be emissions-free.
The initiative is supported by Federal Minister for Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke. “By fully committing to electric and hydrogen trucks and temporarily using HVO100, Colruyt is setting a good example: every step towards moving away from fossil fuels counts.”
