FERCAM: Supplies with HVO -10,289,334 Kg of CO₂ emissions in 2023
An experiment was initiated with an HVO refueling station established on the company premises in December 2021; in 2023, company vehicles collectively traveled 9,182,487 km using HVO, resulting in a certified reduction of 10,289,334 kg of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to a reduction of 80.47%.
(Bolzano, April 9, 2024) The beginnings were rather tentative; in Italy in 2021, there were still no public HVO fueling stations, a fact that prompted FERCAM to start its own experiments with this alternative fuel. In December 2021, a special HVO distribution pump became operational at the company's refueling station in Bolzano (South Tyrol), and some vehicles were fueled with certified HVO produced exclusively from non-food chain residual and waste materials at the ENI refinery in Venice. At the time, however, no one knew exactly what long-term effects this alternative fuel might have on conventional diesel engines. Due to the lack of supply on the road and highway network, in the first few months only vehicles with daily return routes to the Bolzano headquarters could use HVO.
"We were aware that it was a small step, but it confirmed that with commitment, all economic activities can be made more sustainable. Initially, this project meant an additional financial burden for our company because the fuel in 2021 was much more expensive compared to traditional diesel; but the technology for using hydrogen engines in heavy transport was not and still is not mature, so we must use the currently available alternatives, from biomethane to HVO, from electric to hydrogen engines, we simply need to get active and experiment," says FERCAM CEO Hannes Baumgartner.
Favorable Development of HVO Costs
In the past two years, there have been significant developments in the field, valuable experiences have been gained, and the favorable trend in fuel costs has enabled increasingly intensive use of HVO. In 2021, the costs were double those of traditional fuel, but by 2023, the price difference had narrowed to an additional 20 cents. "From the first two vehicles originally refueled at FERCAM, now a growing percentage of our vehicle fleet is being fueled with HVO, and our goal is to gradually convert much of our fleet to HVO; by the end of 2023, the total reduction in CO₂ emissions was -10,289,334 kg, thus -80.47% for 9,182,487 kilometers traveled with HVO. In the first two months of this year, 3,171,676 km have already been traveled with HVO, with correspondingly higher values in terms of CO₂ emission reduction," concludes Johann Friedrich Harder, Head of Own Vehicle Fleet at FERCAM.
