In recent months, the availability of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fossil-free diesel fuel, also known as XTL, has increased significantly across Central and Southern Europe. This follows its already broad availability in Northern Europe. Since 2021, Thermo King, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, has approved HVO fuel as a more sustainable alternative for powering its truck and trailer refrigeration units.
Many Thermo King customers are already using HVO biodiesel in their fleets. The increased availability of HVO in more regions of Europe enables these customers to further enhance the sustainability of their operations, providing them an effective option to reduce carbon emissions.
Using biodegradable HVO instead of traditional diesel can lead to up to a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter without compromising performance. HVO biodiesel can be used as a direct replacement or mixed with regular diesel, with no need for engine modifications or more frequent maintenance.
Since 2021, all Thermo King large truck and trailer units with diesel engines have been tested with HVO fuel at the company’s manufacturing plant in Galway, Ireland. This testing has helped to reduce the plant’s carbon emissions.
Thermo King's actions are part of Trane Technologies' industry-leading approach to decarbonize buildings, industry, and the cold chain. These initiatives support the company's 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including the Gigaton Challenge, and its pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Trane Technologies was also the first in its industry to have its emissions reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
