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Biomethane is a valuable alternative to fossil fuels, specifically in transport sector, contributing to “energy security” and “carbon neutrality”. Though at present, research has mainly invested in the automotive sector, the demand for alternative and low environmental impact fuels is growing. Hence, in the scope of energy transition, also in the agricultural sector machinery manufacturers have started developing the first solutions able to reduce the environmental impact of tractors. In addition, on-farm biomethane production would represents a great opportunity for the development of more “circular” systems producing renewable energy from “residual biomass” (e.g. livestock effluents, agricultural waste). Under this framework, the TOBIAS project, launched in 2020 and funded by the Piedmont Region (North-western Italy), is aimed to investigate the development and application of a biomethane supply chain for agricultural tractors engines.

Diesel will continue to be an indispensable energy carrier for the car fleet CO2 emission targets in the short-term. This is particularly relevant for heavy-duty vehicles as for mid-size cars and SUVs. Looking at the latest technology achievements on the after-treatment systems, it can be stated that the concerning about the NOx emission gap between homologation test and real road use is basically solved, while the future challenge for diesel survival is to keep its competitiveness in the CO2 vs cost equation in comparison to other propulsion systems. The development of the combustion system design still represents an important leverage for further efficiency and emissions improvements while keeping the current excellent performance in terms of power density and low-end torque.