Much has been written over the years about the benefits of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel - its popularity more recently accelerated by the drive to decarbonise across fleets. In fact, you don't have to look very far to find examples of big-name operators who have pledged to switch from traditional diesel to biofuels. At the end of last year, DPD committed to the fuel, along with PepsiCo and Wren Kitchens - all benefiting from a reduction of CO_2 tailpipe emissions of up to 90%, compared with diesel-fed trucks. The increased demand - and consumption - of the fuel does, however, create an issue at the supply level. With established major refineries still supporting the volume choice of diesel, HVO remains in relatively short supply. It's an approach that William Tebbit, CEO of Green Biofuels, believes needs to change. "There is a growing realism that transition fuels are a good way to help us decarbonise while we wait for new technologies - whatever they may be - to become available at scale and economically viable," he reasons. "When we look at the cost of some of the alternative technologies at the moment, they are still hugely expensive. But it isn't just about electric vehicles and whether they're good or not (financially or otherwise); it's actually about delivering low-carbon electricity."
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