Clean fuel option with Komatsu

Komatsu says that the company has made a decision to switch to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as factory-fill fuel for Komatsu equipment produced in Europe.
August 1, 2023 Read time: 2 mins
Komatsu machines can now run on HVO fuels

This is in line with Komatsu’s long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Komatsu is commencing this switch at its Komatsu Germany, Construction Division (KGC) plant in Hannover, Germany, and at the Komatsu UK plant in Birtley, England, with other Komatsu Europe plants to follow.

The combustion engines in Komatsu machines can be operated with HVO with no modifications required. The switch to this renewable, paraffinic fuel as a sustainable alternative to traditional diesel fuel is a major step that Komatsu is taking towards reducing its environmental impact. It shows that the company's machines can run on a cleaner and more sustainable fuel, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improving air quality.

HVO is produced from renewable raw material such as cooking oil and animal fats wastes. It is a simple drop-in replacement for fossil diesel, but with high cetane, no oxygen and no aromatics. It can lower the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by Komatsu equipment by up to 90%, if the machine is fuelled with Neste MY Renewable Diesel (= HVO 100) from Neste, one of Komatsu’s main suppliers of HVO.

"HVO not only grants lower emissions during operation by superior chemical composition. said Ingo Büscher, managing director of KGC. “Komatsu’s HVO first fill product (Neste MY Renewable Diesel) is mainly made of waste material limiting consumption renewable resources such as vegetable oils." He added: "We are committed to support our customers in achieving their long-term sustainability goals as a one team approach. We believe that HVO is an effective and economical option to both reduce emissions and save limited resources.”

Komatsu’s switch to HVO factory-fill fuel is just one of the many steps that the company is taking towards sustainability, along with the research and development of new technologies and solutions such as electric and hydrogen-powered machines, to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and achieve its zero-emission goal. 

For more information on companies in this article

Komatsu

Related Content

  • Earthmoving market introductions
    February 11, 2020
    Earthmoving innovations are coming to market in the shape of new excavators and wheeled loaders
    Read More
  • LEDs shed new light on cost savings according to Harvard Technology
    October 26, 2016
    Russell Fletcher* from global lighting solutions provider Harvard Technology explains how LEDs and wireless controls are changing the lighting industry. The lighting controls market is set to double by 2024, according to Navigant Research, a US-based global market research and consulting team that analyses clean technology markets. The driver is technological advancements which bring impressive results through retrofitting combined LED and wireless control systems.
    Read More
  • Peri delivers formwork for Fehmarnbelt Tunnel
    July 12, 2023
    The last of the 12 ships delivering Peri’s formwork recently arrived at the tunnel element factory east of Rødbyhavn on Denmark’s Lolland island.
    Read More
  • Cummins goes fuel agnostic as it heads for destination zero
    March 16, 2023

    Cummins is future-proofing its internal combustion engine options developing a “common base range” of power units that can be adapted to run on natural gas, hydrogen, or diesel by making a few simple alterations. According to the company’s construction market director Jeremy Harsin, Cummins has developed a fuel-agnostic approach in which “you scale the bottom end of the engine, change the air handling systems and the cylinder head,” and away you go...

    Read More

Highlighted Content