Skoda Ireland and fuel retailer Certa have launched a new joint campaign aimed at encouraging owners and would-be buyers of new diesel cars to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel as a replacement for diesel to lower their motoring carbon emissions by up to 90%.

As part of the awareness and promotional campaign, Skoda will offer buyers of diesel Skoda models a Certa HVO biofuel voucher of either €250 or €500 depending on the model of car purchased in the month of March.

Certa currently has an offer which matches the price of HVO with that of diesel and has announced plans to introduce new HVO pumps at more forecourts throughout the country. Certa is a fully Irish-owned company and is in the process of upgrading its network of 41 unmanned, pay@pump forecourts to offer HVO at all fuel pumps alongside other fuels.

HVO is produced using waste plant-matter and hydrogen, which means it does not release any additional carbon emissions into the atmosphere and can result in a 90% net reduction in CO2 emissions.

HVO can be used as a direct replacement for diesel in a wide variety of fleet, plant and machinery equipment in addition to passenger cars. It can also be mixed with diesel in any ratio. The performance of diesel engines using HVO is near identical to when they are fuelled with diesel.

HVO is distinguished at fuel pumps through the use of a pink nozzle, which stands out from the black diesel and green petrol ones.

In Ireland, HVO is expected to meet a large proportion of the increase in biofuel supply to decarbonise the transport sector and is considered a vital transition fuel as electric powered vehicles continue to become more mainstream.

HVO is recognised by the Irish government as a 100% replacement for conventional diesel with greenhouse gas reduction benefits.

As part of the HVO awareness campaign, Skoda has launched an online vehicle checker where owners of diesel Skoda models can enter their registrations to confirm their car’s HVO-readiness.

Skoda has also confirmed that all new Skoda diesel models will be HVO-ready and all diesel models manufactured from mid-2021 are HVO-ready.

Drivers of other brands of Diesel cars should know that while most modern diesels can operate using HVO without any changes, owners are advised to confirm their cars HVO-readiness by contacting their manufacturer.

Pictured: Skoda is teaming up with Certa to encourage the use of HVO at the pumps as a replacement for diesel.