Volvo is running five trucks on Bio-DME fuel as part of a two year field test.
The fuel, di-methyl-ether, has high energy efficiency and produces 95 per cent less carbon dioxide compared with diesel.
The field test will establish whether large-scale production of Bio-DME will be a practical alternative to diesel in the long term.
For the test Volvo has put five DME trucks into full operation which are being used in Sweden by various hauliers including Green Cargo and DHL. The fuel itself is being produced by Chemrec, partly owned by Volvo, and fuel distributor Preem has opened a DME filling station in Stockholm, with three more planned across Sweden.
Volvo’s environmental director Lars Mårtensson said: “For a new fuel to have a chance of survival, it needs production, distribution and suitably modified vehicles. Now we have all three pieces of the puzzle in place in a complete, entirely unique field test.”
