A version of the 2.0 dCi B30 with particulate filter will be commercially available shortly. These engines will be able to run with equal ease on diesel fuel and on B30 mixtures of conventional diesel and biodiesel. In 2007, Renault will also introduce Renault Megane biofuel. Driven by a 110hp 1.6 16V engine, it will run on E85 ethanol or straight petrol and will be Renault's first European ethanol offering. Derived from units already powering vehicles in the line-up, the engines have been modified to adjust automatically to the type of fuel in the tank. While biodiesel-compatibility requires only basic changes, bioethanol calls for more extensive reconfiguration of the tank, fuel injection system, combustion chamber, exhaust line, etc. Since 2004, Renault has been commercializing flex-fuel Clio and Megane models that burn E100 in Brazil.

Renault considers biofuels as one of the most efficient and economical solutions for curbing CO2 emissions in the mid-term. Produced from vegetable matter and biomass they are a renewable, diversified energy source that will help limit dependence on fossil fuels. An additional advantage is that biofuel can be made from locally available resources.


What kinds of biofuel does Renault use for these vehicles?

Bioethanol is made by fermenting and distilling biomass - plant matter such as wheat and beetroot in Europe, sugar cane in Brazil or corn in the USA. Bioethanol can then be mixed with petrol in varying proportions: 5 per cent inclusion is E5, 10 per cent is E10 and 85 per cent is E85. Flex-fuel vehicles like Clio 1.6 16V Hi-Flex can burn neat bioethanol.

Biodiesel is an alkyl ester derived from vegetable oil. It is produced from oleaginous crops and plants (mainly rapeseed and sunflower in Europe, but also soya and palm oil in other parts of the world. Through a process known as transesterification, vegetable oil reacts with methanol to produce biodiesel which can then be mixed with straight diesel. When mixed with diesel at inclusion of 30 per cent, biodiesel is called B30.

Synthetic biodiesel (a second-generation fuel) is produced by the Fischer Tropsch process from gas, coal or biomass. Renault is working on second-generation biofuels as part of the Alliance for Synthetic Fuels in Europe (ASFE) with DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Royal Dutch Shell and Sasol Chevron.


From well to wheel

To understand the advantages of biofuels over fossil fuels in reducing CO2 emissions, it is important to take a holistic, or well-to-wheel, approach. Well-to-wheel analysis serves to rate the efficiency of a fuel by calculating its aggregate CO2 emissions from when it is produced to when it is burnt in a vehicle. Fossil fuels are responsible for CO2 emissions during production (drilling and refinery), when they are shipped, and when a vehicle burns them. Biofuels originate from biomass, i.e. plants, which are grown to produce them. The CO2 absorbed by the plants as they grow (photosynthesis) is subtracted from the biofuel's total CO2 emissions. What's more, because biofuels can be made from locally available biological matter, there is much less need to transport them to distribution facilities by road and sea, which in turn limits CO2 emissions. Total CO2 emissions produced by the biofuel chain are much lower than for conventional fossil fuels. Some biofuels can, depending on the material used to produce it, lead to reductions in CO2 emissions of up 70% compared to a petrol engine.


Renault committed to technologies of the future

On February 9, 2006, the "Renault Commitment 2009" plan was announced. An important part of the plan was the commitment to preparing a comprehensive range of alternative technologies, one of which is the fuel cell.

Renault stated that throughout its 2009 commitment plan it would conducts tests in France on vehicles powered by fuel cells based on advanced Alliance technologies.

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