Avon Fire trialling vegetable oil to fuel engines
It could cut carbon emissions by 80%
Avon fire engines could be fuelled by vegetable oil instead of diesel to cut their carbon emissions by 80%.
The service is trialling hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), a byproduct of the agricultural industry which can be used in current vehicles without any modifications.
Tests show no difference in performance, although some older fire engines cannot be adapted.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) head of estates Patrick Hollins told a recent meeting of Avon Fire Authority policy and resources committee: “Those trials are ongoing and not conclusive yet, however, we have a reasonable amount of confidence it should work for most of our diesel vehicles, but not all.
“There are fire services, particularly in London, who are trialling electric fire appliances.
“However, that solution is still looking to be multiple years away, and realistically in terms of cost pressure there is a significant uplifting cost for an electric vehicle versus an internal combustion engine.
“We will continue to monitor that situation but hopefully the HVO trials will support an interim position on decarbonising that aspect of our fleet.”
AFRS environmental manager Louise Brogan told the meeting: “HVO is the only current option we have without any major amendments.
“It can be used in most diesel vehicles that are over Euro 6.
“Given that we can’t replace vehicles or engines at this time, this is our best option.”
A report to councillors at the meeting said the service was meeting its carbon emissions reduction target of 55 per cent compared with 2019/20.
It said this was helped by more low-emission vehicles and less mileage because of new ways of remote working.
“However, the fleet continues to be faced with technological blockers to progress at significant pace,” the report said.
“Electric appliances are currently being trialled within other services with mixed results.
“Due to the costs involved in the research and development of such technologies the service is not currently directly trialling any such technologies on front-line appliances but continues to monitor progress within the market to identify opportunities when possible.
“One such opportunity that the service is looking to implement is the introduction of hydrogenated vegetable oil in place of diesel within the fleet.
“This is currently being adopted successfully within North Wales Fire Service.
“HVO utilises a waste product from the agricultural industry to fuel vehicles.
“The HVO can be used as a direct swap, with no need to modify any vehicles.
“As the fuel is a waste product it carries a much lower carbon factor on the carbon emissions calculation and will reduce emissions in those vehicles that can use HVO by up to 80 per cent.
“During the 2024/25 financial year, fleet have successfully trialled HVO in a training appliance with a Euro 6 engine and have begun trials in an older vehicle to establish the viability and scale of a potential roll-out.”
After the meeting, an Avon Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said: “The results have been mixed but generally positive.
“Tests using our newest fire engines showed no notable difference in performance compared with conventional diesel.
“In some older vehicles, however, analysis suggested that HVO use could be associated with a slight increase in engine wear.
“Additionally, a small number of vehicles in our fleet are not compatible with HVO fuel.
“Research and evaluation in this area is ongoing, as we continue to explore ways to reduce our environmental impact while balancing operational, financial and practical considerations.”