Future Mobility

OMV provides various solutions suited to different types of transportation, including successfully reducing CO₂ emissions for short-distance passenger transportation as well as for long-haul heavy-duty transportation. Whereas battery-powered electric vehicles present a suitable option in the first case, natural gas and hydrogen are a more efficient option for the latter. Directly and through its partnerships, OMV offers several options for lower-carbon transportation such as electricity, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and hydrogen. In addition, Borealis’ automotive solutions offer ideal replacement solutions for conventional materials like metal, rubber, and engineering polymers. Borealis’ material solutions help facilitate lightweight construction and thus play an important role in enhancing fuel efficiency. Over the lifespan of an automotive application like a bumper, for instance, 8 kg of carbon emissions can be avoided by using 1 kg of polypropylene (PP). Using lightweight materials is also important in hybrid and electric vehicles to mitigate their high battery weight.

In 2020, OMV invested EUR 2.3 mn (2019: EUR 1 mn) in future mobility assets.

Retail

Gas Mobility With CNG and LNG

Natural gas is a clean, safe, and readily available alternative fuel for transportation. Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) provide a cleaner mobility alternative with emissions reductions of up to 23% less CO₂, 75% less nitrogen oxide, and 98% fewer particulates.

Emission Savings With Natural Gas (CNG and LNG) vs. Gasoline and Diesel (Euro 6)

According to an analysis by the Natural & bio Gas Vehicle Association (NGVA Europe) and the European Biogas Association (EBA), which published the Roadmap to 2030, the number of LNG trucks in Europe is expected to increase to 280,000 by 2030. The growing popularity of this fuel is attributable to the benefits of lower CO₂ and particulate matter emissions as well as less noise. We are preparing to expand the requisite infrastructure. In the first half of 2021, we will open our first LNG filling station to supply our heavy-duty truck customers with this alternative fuel. OMV also operates 69 CNG filling stations in Europe, 54 of which are in Austria.

Hydrogen Mobility

OMV considers hydrogen to be a key solution for decarbonization and actively contributes to the development of the hydrogen filling station network in Austria and Germany in order to enable sustainable mobility.

OMV has been pioneering hydrogen filling stations in Austria and Germany, with Austria’s first public hydrogen filling station in Vienna opening in 2012. Additional stations were unveiled in Innsbruck, Asten, Graz, and Wiener Neudorf. In Germany, where OMV is part of the H₂ MOBILITY initiative, there are nine OMV hydrogen filling stations in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg operated by H₂ MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, in which OMV is a shareholder. This initiative intends to build a country-wide hydrogen refueling station network in Germany by 2023. At the end of 2020, 90 filling stations were in operation.

OMV will continue to conduct pilot projects with industry partners in order to develop a business model for the cross-sector use of hydrogen gas (H₂). The aim is to establish hydrogen as a pathway for carbon-neutral mobility, especially in the freight and public sectors. We will also advocate for the use of H₂ for balancing the electricity grid in view of the increasing strain from intermittent renewable electricity sources. Currently, OMV is engaged in several pilot projects, including the UpHy project, which involves the production of hydrogen for use in the mobility sector and in the refining process.

UpHy Aims to Upscale Green Hydrogen for Industry and Mobility

OMV aims to provide various solutions suited to different types of transportation, including successfully reducing CO₂ emissions from short-distance passenger transportation as well as from long-haul heavy-duty transportation. OMV has been developing the UpHy project since 2018. The construction of a large electrolysis plant generating up to 10 MW is planned for this purpose. The electrolysis will be powered by renewable electricity, so the plant will produce green, zero-carbon hydrogen. The green hydrogen will initially be used in the Schwechat refinery for the hydration of vegetable oil and fossil fuels, thus reducing the CO₂ emitted by up to 15 kt per year. The second step will be to use the green hydrogen for decarbonizing “hard-to-electrify” transportation segments like buses and trucks. OMV aims to build a new H₂ filling station for buses and heavy-duty vehicles close to Vienna. This is the first project of its kind in Europe and aims to not only lower production costs but also to demonstrate the lowest downtimes and highest plant availability for commercial use in industry and mobility. In addition to the electrolysis system, OMV will build the entire value chain, including H₂ trailer loading, trailer logistics (using 300 bar trailers in Austria for the first time), and a high-availability, energy-optimized bus fueling station. One of the goals is to supply the first commercial H₂ bus line in Europe.

SDG target: 7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

As part of the H2Accelerate initiative, OMV, Shell, Daimler Truck AG, IVECO, and the Volvo Group made a commitment in 2020 to work together to help create the conditions for the mass-market roll-out of hydrogen trucks in Europe. Achieving a large-scale roll-out of hydrogen-fueled trucks is expected to create new industries: zero-carbon hydrogen production facilities, large-scale hydrogen distribution systems, a network of high-capacity refueling stations for liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and the production of the hydrogen-fueled trucks themselves. The decade-long scale-up is expected to begin with groups of customers willing to make an early commitment to hydrogen-based trucking. These fleets are expected to operate in regional clusters and along European high-capacity corridors with good refueling station coverage. During the next decade, these clusters can then be interconnected to build a truly pan-European network.

E-Mobility

Currently, e-charging points are available at 96 OMV filling stations in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. We continue to develop our charging network via numerous partnerships and joint ventures. Through our 40% interest in SMATRICS, Austria’s leading e-mobility infrastructure provider, OMV is part of a SMATRICS-operated network of more than 450 e-charging points, powered 100% by renewable energy. In 2020, international roaming was activated on the OMV ROUTEX e-mobility card for Austrian customers.

OMV Petrom Installs Fast-Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles

OMV Petrom and Eldrive, the leading electric vehicle charging points operator in Southeastern Europe, have partnered to install 30 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles in OMV branded filling stations in Romania and Bulgaria. The project will take approximately two years. In 2020, three stations were installed. The new charging station network will allow drivers to charge the electric vehicle’s battery up to 80% in approximately 40 minutes. In addition, OMV Petrom and Enel X România, member of Enel X, the division of advanced energy services of the Enel Group, will install ten fast-recharging stations for electric cars at OMV and OMV Petrom filling stations during the next months.

SDG target: 7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

Biofuels

All biofuels purchased by OMV in 2020 and used for blending meet the requirements of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC). Since 2013, the ISCC-EU certificate issued for OMV Refining & Marketing GmbH has been renewed on an annual basis. OMV Petrom, OMV Hungary, OMV Czech Republic, and OMV Slovenia are also certified according to the ISCC-EU standard.

Biofuel Volumes ¹ 2019 figure restated and 2020 figure estimated as both Austria and Germany data are based on year-to-date actuals plus a forecast for the remaining months each year, given that the annual deadline for closing all biofuel balances of a given year is not before the publication of the Sustainability Report

In megaliters

OMV purchases biodiesel (FAME) mainly from European producers that use very little palm oil. In 2020, of all biofuels placed on the market by OMV, only around 2.7% were based on palm oil. Certain biofuels are almost exclusively available with palm oil as the feedstock. However, ISCC standards require that no deforestation take place from January 2008 onward for any feedstock that is used for biodiesel generation.

We plan to increase the use of regional rapeseed oil and used cooking oil as well as other potential waste and advanced feedstock, which is made possible using our Co-Processing technology. (For more details, see Biowaste as Raw Material.) In 2019, OMV and AustroCel Hallein GmbH signed a multi-year agreement to supply advanced bioethanol. The fuel components will be derived exclusively from spruce-based cellulose, which is a scrap material from the sawmill industry. These advanced biofuels will be added to OMV gasoline and will contribute to reducing the carbon intensity of OMV’s product portfolio. The first successful trial delivery of the advanced bioethanol occurred in December 2020. Since January 2021, AustroCel Hallein GmbH is delivering 1.5 mn l per month to OMV. Substituting biofuel for fossil fuel will reduce emissions by around 45 kt CO₂ per year.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Synthetic fuels made of CO₂ and water are a key technology for decarbonizing the aviation industry. OMV is working on a project to construct and operate an electrolyzer using green electricity, water, and CO₂ from the refinery to produce what is known as “syngas.” This syngas will then be synthesized into sustainable aviation fuel using the Fischer-Tropsch process.