90 percent less CO2

How eco-fuel is making St. Pölten’s city buses “green”

Public transportation consumes less fuel per capita than cars anyway. In St. Pölten, the LUP buses now save additional emissions.(Bild: Dr. Richard/Luck)

In one fell swoop, the city buses of the provincial capital want to save 1146 tons (!) of carbon dioxide per year. This will be made possible by switching to eco-fuel, as the operator has now announced.

HVO-100 is the magic word. It is a fossil-free fuel that is produced synthetically and can completely replace conventional diesel. This eco-fuel is even more efficient at low temperatures. As it is produced from renewable raw materials - primarily from vegetable waste and residues such as frying fat - it is considered to be particularly environmentally friendly.

The Dr. Richard Group is now also focusing on bio-diesel: "As a responsible company, we want to further develop sustainable mobility," it says. From now on, the entire bus fleet in St. Pölten will run on HVO-100. Of course, this also applies to the blue LUP city buses.

LUP buses are a model for success
The routes named after the wolf in the city's coat of arms are generally a model for success, transporting more than five million passengers in the provincial capital last year. Dr. Richard currently operates the routes with 22 buses, which require 435,000 liters of fuel per year. By switching to HVO-100, 90 percent of environmentally harmful CO₂ emissions can now be saved.

What is HVO-100?

HVO-100 can primarily be obtained from organic waste such as animal fats, residues from the processing of vegetable oils and old cooking oil. In addition, HVO-100 does not contain any virgin palm oil. What is particularly impressive is that CO₂ emissions can be reduced by up to 90% compared to conventional fuels. In addition, particulate matter emissions are up to 33% lower and carbon monoxide emissions can be reduced by up to 24%. HVO-100 is odorless as it is free of sulfur, aromatics and oxygen.

"We are delighted to be playing a sustainable role in shaping public transport in St. Pölten with the use of HVO-100 on the LUP lines. Implementing innovative measures requires entrepreneurial courage. We are delighted that we can make a regional contribution to the mobility transition in this way," says Michael Weissmann, Managing Director of Dr. Richard Niederösterreich. He also emphasizes that the rapid conversion of the company filling station in St. Pölten to HVO-100 was made possible not least by the close cooperation with the traditional company MMM-Energie.