Carbon-neutral production sites: vehicles fueled with sustainable fuels at the factory
- New Audi vehicles are delivered with environmentally friendly R33 Blue Diesel or R33 Blue Gasoline
- R33 fuels reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20 percent compared to fossil fuels
- No hardware updates required for filling stations
Many new vehicles that leave the Audi plants are delivered with environmentally-friendly R33 fuel. After the plants' filling stations transitioned to R33 Blue Diesel last year, its complement R33 Blue Gasoline was introduced – Audi’s way of contributing to defossilization and helping to reach climate targets.
Environmentally friendly R33 Blue Diesel has been available at Audi filling stations in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm since March 2021. As its complement, R33 Blue Gasoline now replaces conventional E10 gasoline.
To what percentage is the fuel made from renewable components?
R33 Blue Gasoline and R33 Blue Diesel consist of one third renewable components, based exclusively on residual and waste materials, hence being called second-generation biofuels. The renewable portion of the gasoline consists of 10 percent fuel oxygenates, e.g., ethanol, and 23 percent bionaphtha, which is obtained from residual materials, such as tall oil, a by-product of pulp production. R33 Blue Diesel consists of 26 percent renewable paraffinic fuel, i.e., HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), and 7 percent biodiesel. The remaining 67 percent is made up of fossil fuel.
How much CO2 emissions can R33 Blue Diesel and R33 Blue Gasoline reduce?
R33 Blue fuels reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20 percent compared with fossil diesel and gasoline in the well-to-wheel analysis, and the figure is rising. By financing certified environmental projects, fuel producers do more to improve the environmental impact of the remaining fossil components in R33 fuels. The aim is to further reduce the global greenhouse gas effect and the use of such fuels is an important step towards Audi’s goal of carbon neutrality at its production sites by 2025.
Which vehicles can use renewable fuels?
R33 Blue Gasoline fully complies with the applicable standard for gasoline, DIN EN 228, which means that any vehicle approved to run on Super 95 E10 gasoline can use it. R33 Blue Diesel fulfills the most prevalent standard today, EN 590, and is therefore certified for all diesel vehicles – even older ones. R33 fuels are premium fuels that have a positive effect on wear and service life through special additives. Both fuels have achieved consistently positive results in extensive engine and vehicle tests – they even exceed the EN 228/E10 standard in key parameters, such as storage stability and boiling behavior. The high-quality additives also ensure these renewable fuels are very clean and prevent engine corrosion.
Who developed R33 fuels?
In cooperation with mineral oil manufacturers and energy suppliers, Audi and the Volkswagen Group are contributing their technical expertise to ensure the compatibility of existing engines with renewable fuels (known as reFuels). The R33 fuels were developed in cooperation with Shell and Bosch.
Which filling stations offer R33 Blue Diesel and R33 Blue Gasoline?
In addition to plant filling stations from Audi, Volkswagen, and Bosch, R33 Blue Diesel is available at existing public filling stations today. However, Super E10 and diesel fuel with up to 7 percent biodiesel content (indicated by the symbol B7 at filling stations) are still the norm in Germany. Mineral oil manufacturers also plan to use R33 Blue Gasoline in the existing filling station network. The use of reFuels does not require any hardware adjustments to filling stations.
Why is Audi committed to the use of renewable fuels?
With its “Vorsprung 2030” strategy, Audi is going all in on battery-electric mobility. Renewable fuels supplement this strategy by making internal combustion engines more climate -friendly and are an effective means of defossilization – both in the short term and after 2033, when the last Audi with a combustion engine will roll off the production line in Europe. In the future, Audi, and the Volkswagen Group plan to use more renewable fuels for their vehicles to help reduce the existing fleet’s carbon footprint.
Audi is using R33 fuels at its two German plants to further reduce CO2 emissions at its sites, helping to advance the company’s goal of making Audi production sites net carbon neutral by 2025. After all, emissions from company vehicles also count towards a site’s emissions. Additionally, fueling company cars with these renewable sources helps reduce emissions at the two German sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
