Toyota announces that the diesel engines of the Land Cruiser and Hilux will run on HVO100 renewable fuel

It seems that the latest announcements made by the European Union are the final nail in the coffin for the manufacture and use of combustion engines, but a number of countries and brands, especially those with a large automotive industry, are reluctant to let that happen, especially when they are in the midst of researching the use of renewable fuels.

As you already know, several brands are behind the research into synthetic fuels, among them illustrious names such as Porsche, a brand that, as you know, is part of the VAG Group, a conglomerate that, on the other hand, also insists time and again that the future of the automobile is electric. On this same path is Audi, which is also committed to electrifying its vehicles, although it has recently confirmed that its V6 diesel engines have obtained approval to use the renewable fuel HVO100.

We have just taken an in-depth look at what HVO100 is all about. It is a biofuel with characteristics similar to the diesel we use in our vehicles. Its initials come from Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, and it is obtained from vegetable oils such as palm or rapeseed and from animal fats, which undergo a chemical process in which hydrogen is used to produce this biofuel. Depending on its certification, since there are several types, it is capable of reducing CO2 emissions compared with fossil-based diesel by between 70% and 95%.

The fact that a brand such as Audi is keeping a corner open for combustion engines running on this type of biofuel gives some hope that we will continue to hear the roar of these engines, but perhaps it gives us even more hope that a giant such as Toyota, with vast experience in hybrid engines, has also decided to approve the diesel engines of the Land Cruiser and Hilux range for the use of HVO100.

Specifically, it will do so for its market in Western Europe. Around 1,000 petrol stations already sell HVO100 in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, even though it is a fuel that is still expensive today due to its still limited production. I say “still” because the automotive industry forecasts that output will rise from the 4 million tonnes produced today to 15.5 million tonnes a year by 2030, which positions it as a fuel to keep firmly in mind.

Unless the opposite happens, this fuel remains restricted to diesel engines. It can be used in current engines that have been approved for it, since they require a small modification, which is nothing more than adjusting the fuel injection system to increase the flow, because HVO100 is less dense than conventional diesel. This also results in a slight increase in engine power, and it does not prevent the use of conventional diesel should it be needed.

Toyota has confirmed that both the Land Cruiser and the Hilux will come with this specification from the first quarter of 2023, when they will already leave the factory with the adjustments necessary to run on HVO100.