Citroën Rolls with Your Waste

Turning waste into fuel. This idea may be surprising, but it is currently being tested very concretely by Citroën.

With the HVO Aurora Trial project, Stellantis highlights a Citroën Berlingo running on HVO, a renewable fuel derived from used cooking oils and animal fats. It is a strong symbol of more circular mobility, even if still imperfect.

HVO – hydrotreated vegetable oil – stands out from traditional biodiesel by its total compatibility with existing diesel engines. No vehicle or infrastructure changes are necessary, a major advantage for companies and fleets already in operation. As part of this European tour, the Berlingo and a Fiat Ducato are traveling through several countries to demonstrate, with data support, the potential of this alternative fuel.

Does it smell like fries?

Conducted with SPH3, a French specialist in smart sensors, the project monitors in real-time the use of HVO and CO₂ emissions “from well to wheel”. The objective is clear: to prove that fuels derived from waste can significantly reduce the overall carbon footprint without disrupting current operations. The program was actually born internally, through Stellantis’s Star*Up initiative, illustrating the role that grassroots ideas can play.

However, we must remain realistic. HVO is still a combustion fuel, thus inherently polluting. The volumes of recyclable raw materials are limited, and production costs are high. We are still far from being able to generalize this “dirty” fuel on a large scale or seeing it as a definitive solution.

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But every little step counts. Reusing unavoidable waste to produce energy, partially reducing emissions without waiting for major technological breakthroughs is also a pragmatic way forward. The Citroën Berlingo HVO does not embody perfect mobility, but it reminds us that between the ideal of fully electric and the status quo, there are intermediate pathways. And in the energy transition, these paths also deserve to be explored.

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