So says UPM following a testing programme conducted by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland over the last three-quarters of the year on its BioVerno diesel, which is produced from residues of the forest industry, with no food materials being used.

The fleet tests focused on investigating UPM’s renewable diesel in terms of fuel functionality in engine and fuel consumption. The tests were conducted with a fuel blend including 20% UPM BioVerno and 80% fossil diesel, achieving the same fuel consumption as fossil diesel.



The test was carried out by experienced test drivers from VTT in four new Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI cars, which were tested over 80,000km in all.

The study included measurements in the laboratory at the beginning of the test and after 20,000km of driving – a distance chosen based on the fact that, in Finland, the average yearly distance driven with cars is 17,000km.

‘The fleet tests showed the same as the previous engine and vehicle tests – renewable diesel UPM BioVerno is working exactly like any regular diesel. The results were according to our expectations, because our renewable diesel echoes fossil diesel also in its chemical structure, unlike first generation biodiesels,’ said Petri Kukkonen, vice president, UPM Biofuels. 



The firm added that fleet testing of UPM BioVerno diesel will continue, together with VTT, using buses in the Helsinki metropolitan area in late 2014.