“2035 will be the year in which diesel and gasoline engines disappear”, a phrase that we have been hearing more vehemently for months. But when everything indicated that this would be the case and that electric cars would be the only plausible option, the most unexpected firm appears to save diesel engines. And it is that it has been precisely the largest brand of hybrid carsToyota, which has just announced that its current diesel vehicles will be compatible with renewable fuel.
This not only allows the Japanese firm’s diesel cars to remain a logical option today, but also allows there to be more room for diesel-powered vehicles in the future. And it is the HVO100 diesel that is in charge of it, the fuel with which the hilux Y Land Cruiserproduced after the first quarter of 2023 will be compatible.
Toyota’s renewable fuel will be diesel’s savior
Unlike traditional fuels, HVO100 stands out for coming from 100% renewable sources and not containing any fossil fuel. And it is that its starting point is, for example, recycled cooking oil or vegetable oil, complying with the European quality standard EN 15940 for paraffinic diesel.
To all this we must add that this renewable diesel has a higher octane rating -C80- than standard diesel, as well as a lower content of sulfur and aromatic hydrocarbons. But the development of this sustenance for cars would not make sense if it were not for the fact that there is a demand, which is increasingly high..
And it is that Toyota engineers have decided to adapt their diesel offer after analyzing that in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden there are around a thousand stations with HVO100. Considering that the number is increasing in Europe in general, it is logical to expect that the production of renewable diesel will also grow, The Japanese firm estimates that they will reach 15.5 million tons per year in 2030that is to say, also giving space to diesel on a date in which it will supposedly be completely eradicated.
But while synthetic fuel requires very specific conditions for today’s engines to run on it, renewable diesel requires only one modification. And it is that Toyota will change the fuel injection system of Hilux and Land Cruiser manufactured from next year to increase its flow.
This is because the HVO100 is less dense than the standard diesel, but it does not imply any other change in the car, even slightly improving its performance.. And it is that Toyota engineers ensure that with the highest octane number of renewable diesel and this adjustment, the maximum power developed by the engine will be somewhat higher.
In addition, we must take into account not only this, but also that both Land Crusier and Hilux can continue to work with standard diesel, the fuel being chosen by the owner.. At the moment there has been no talk of prices for the HVO100 in Spain, but everything indicates that, initially, it could be slightly more expensive than normal diesel, but it will only be a matter of time and that more cars adapt to renewable diesel to see a significant reduction in cost that will make it not only a very common livelihood, but also a plausible alternative to the electric car.
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