Stellantis has launched a new project to demonstrate the benefits from renewable hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel.

Two Stellantis vans are embarking on a journey across Europe to collect real-world HVO usage data

Dubbed HVO Aurora, the project focuses on monitoring, verifying and reporting the real-world use of HVO – a renewable fuel that’s made from waste materials such as used cooking oils and animal fats and can help reduce CO2 emissions.

Regarded as a key transitional fuel for light vehicles and trucks and a practical way to cut emissions today, HVO is increasingly being adopted by fleets such as National Grid and is now starting to appear at more filling stations.

All Stellantis cars and light-duty commercial vehicles currently on sale are already fully compatible with HVO diesel fuel (EN15940 fuel standard). Many Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel vehicles currently on the road can also use it without any modification.

The new HVO Aurora project builds on this. The month-long European road tour sees two Stellantis vans – a Citroën Berlingo and a Fiat Professional Ducato – embark on a journey across Europe to collect real-world usage data.

The project is being run in collaboration with SP3H, a French company specialising in intelligent sensors for low-carbon fuels. The vehicles are equipped with SP3H’s connected FluidBox Micro sensor, which will transmit real-world data confirming HVO use and estimating CO2 savings.

The project is intended to demonstrate that cleaner, traceable fuels can be used in existing vehicles – with no changes to fleets or infrastructure – offering a practical, complementary way to reduce well-to-wheel CO2 emissions.

The project also shows how fleets can track and certify the use of renewable HVO fuel in their existing vehicles through the HVO Aurora system, which records fuel type, trip distance and consumption. This information is securely uploaded to the cloud, giving businesses transparent, real-time proof of their actual use of low-carbon fuel and its environmental benefits.

The initiative is supported by the Stellantis Pro One commercial vehicles business unit and was developed within Star*Up, which fosters employee-driven innovation.

Stellantis recently scrapped its plans for hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans, saying the hydrogen market remained a niche segment and that it needed to “make clear and responsible choices to ensure our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers with our electric and hybrid passenger and light commercial vehicles offensive”.

Commenting on the new HVO project, Luca Marengo, head of product and innovation for Stellantis Pro One, said: “HVO Aurora shows how we can reduce well-to-wheel emissions immediately, using solutions that work with the vehicles our customers already rely on.

“At Stellantis Pro One, we remain committed to providing practical and scalable ways to help businesses reduce full cycle emissions now.  This project is a concrete step forward in building a cleaner future for mobility in Europe.”