As part of its commitment to alternative fuels and advanced propulsion systems, General Motors’ subsidiary, Vauxhall, has launched the UK’s first large-scale fleet trial of biodiesel compatible vehicles.

GM plans to trial biodiesel B30 with BSkyB’s fleet. About half of the 450-strong Vauxhall fleet will be able to run on the fuel within the next six months.

The biodiesel B30-compatible models use 2.0 CDTI Vivaro and 2.5 CDTI 100PS and 120PS Movano engines. They emit up to 20% fewer CO2 emissions on a ’source to wheels’ basis compared with the standard Euro 4-compliant diesel units.

As part of the controlled fleet trial, a number of vans across the UK will run on biodiesel B30, allowing GM and Vauxhall to investigate the long-term potential for the fuel in the country.

Biodiesel is made from sustainable sources such as sunflower and rapeseed oils, where the oil is extracted and transformed into a methyl ester.

Biodiesel B30 is a mixture of 30% biodiesel and 70% conventional diesel. The fuel helps reduce carbon emissions because plants grown for conversion to biodiesel absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.