The city of Elmshorn has shifted its commercial vehicle fleet to the alternative diesel fuel HVO100. The 23 vehicles will be refueled in the future at an Orlen filling station in Elmshorn, which has added the fuel to its range. The symbolic first refueling of an Unimog took place in the presence of Mayor Volker Hatje as well as Orlen's managing directors Dariusz Kwieciński and Dennis Kulbach. The participants emphasized the importance of cooperation between the municipality and business for more sustainable mobility.
"As a city, we greatly value the collaboration with
innovative Elmshorn-based companies such as Orlen," said Mayor Volker Hatje.
Nearly CO2-neutral fuel: Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil from residual and waste materials
HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) is produced from residual and waste materials such as vegetable oils. The fuel is considered nearly CO2-neutral and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent. In addition, it burns cleaner than conventional diesel, which leads to lower particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. Because the alternative fuel is suitable for most diesel vehicles, trucks, municipal vehicles and construction machinery of the city of Elmshorn
can use HVO100 without mechanical retrofitting.
Mayor Hatje emphasised that residents will benefit from better air quality. The new fuel also brings advantages for the municipal depot: regeneration trips that had previously been regularly necessary to purge diesel residues from the engines are no longer needed. At the same time, Orlen's fleet card system simplifies the billing of fueling transactions.
HVO100 offering in Orlen's network of filling stations
Orlen Deutschland continues to expand the HVO100 offering. Currently, the fuel is available at six filling stations in Germany, with more locations to follow
later in 2025. The company sees the biggest challenge in expanding additional fueling capacities, but it is deliberately investing in infrastructure, as it says. In addition to HVO100, Orlen is also driving the expansion of e-mobility solutions to connect short-term CO2 savings with a long-term transformation.
Also in other countries, the Orlen Group is introducing HVO100. In Austria, the fuel is already available at three filling stations. Among others, Austrian Post fuels its vehicles with it. In the Czech Republic, by the end of 2025 around ten filling stations are planned on
