BMW’s Renewable Diesel Experiment: Can HVO Give the Internal Combustion Engine a Second Life?
More than 600 BMW and MINI vehicles, over 5,500 recorded refuelling events and approximately 235,000 litres of renewable diesel. BMW Group’s latest fleet trial suggests that reducing emissions from existing diesel vehicles may not require an entirely new generation of cars.
The automotive industry has spent years racing towards electrification, investing billions in battery technology, expanding charging infrastructure and preparing for a future in which electric vehicles play an increasingly important role. But there is another question facing manufacturers: what happens to the millions of internal combustion engine vehicles already on the road?
BMW Group believes renewable fuels deserve a place in that conversation.
In an interim report published on 28 October 2026, BMW Group announced successful results from its HVO test and demonstration fleet, an initiative designed to establish whether modern diesel vehicles can reliably operate using renewable diesel while digitally verifying the fuel used.
The project involves more than 600 BMW and MINI vehicles operating across Germany, Italy and Spain, with participation from corporate fleets operated by BMW Group, Bosch, Eni and Repsol. Its findings offer an encouraging indication that renewable fuels could contribute to reducing transport emissions without requiring motorists to replace their existing vehicles.
The important distinction, however, is that this trial demonstrates the technical feasibility of operating and monitoring such a fleet. It does not, by itself, establish the full environmental or economic benefits of switching Europe’s entire diesel fleet to renewable fuel.
