Vegetable oil-powered airside vehicles to drive down carbon emissions

Thirty-four airside vehicles have made the change from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

Vegetable oil-powered vehicles at Edinburgh Airport to drive down carbon emissions — At least 30 more will make the switch to HVO. Edinburgh Airport

6th May 2022

Vehicles operating at Edinburgh Airport are now being powered by vegetable oil as the airport continues to look at ways of reducing its emissions.

There are plans for at least another thirty vehicles to make the switch to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) over the next few weeks and months.

HVO is a renewable diesel alternative that eliminates up to 90% of net carbon dioxide emissions, while also offering significant savings on nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions.

The airport has also installed an HVO fuel pump on campus, which is being used by airport vehicles as well as those operated by third parties and contractors, supporting campus partners with their decarbonisation programmes.

HVO is used as a “drop-in” fuel replacement for vehicles that have previously been diesel powered.

Gordon Robertson, director of communications and sustainability at Edinburgh Airport, said: “Zero Carbon is just one of the pillars in our greater good sustainability strategy and we are constantly evaluating ways of decarbonising our and our partners’ operations across the campus.

“Introducing the use of vegetable oil in our airside vehicles is part of our strategy to means we can now actively chip away at our emissions by replacing diesel with a renewable fuel source, driving down our environmental impact as we look to deliver a more sustainable future for the airport.”