Audi delivering cars filled with eco-friendly R33 diesel and gasoline

Audi is working to make all of its production sites carbon-neutral by 2025. As part of this process, the company is using special blends of gasoline and diesel which are a mix of standard fossil fuels and renewable fuels. This fuel, called R33, is used to power many new Audis leaving two factories in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (both in Germany).

R33 Blue Gasoline and R33 Blue Diesel consist of one third renewable components, based exclusively on residual and waste materials, hence being called second-generation biofuels. The renewable portion of the gasoline consists of 10 percent fuel oxygenates, e.g., ethanol, and 23 percent bionaphtha, which is obtained from residual materials, such as tall oil, a by-product of pulp production. R33 Blue Diesel consists of 26 percent renewable paraffinic fuel, i.e., HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), and 7 percent biodiesel. The remaining 67 percent is made up of fossil fuel.

Audi says that the R33 Blue fuels reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20 percent compared with fossil diesel and gasoline in the well-to-wheel analysis, and the figure is rising.

R33 Blue Gasoline fully complies with the applicable standard for gasoline, DIN EN 228, which means that any vehicle approved to run on Super 95 E10 gasoline can use it. R33 Blue Diesel fulfills the most prevalent standard today, EN 590, and is therefore certified for all diesel vehicles - even older ones.

The R33 fuel was actually co-developed by Audi's parent company, Volkswagon Group, along with Shell and Bosch. In addition to plant filling stations from Audi, Volkswagen, and Bosch, R33 Blue Diesel is available at existing public filling stations today. However, Super E10 and diesel fuel with up to 7 percent biodiesel content (indicated by the symbol B7 at filling stations) are still the norm in Germany. Mineral oil manufacturers also plan to use R33 Blue Gasoline in the existing filling station network. The use of reFuels does not require any hardware adjustments to filling stations.

Source: Audi