Spring 2015. I had the honour of being the first person in the world to start a car using 100% UPM renewable diesel in laboratory environment. This was a world first, and the feeling was amazing. It's not every day you get the chance to make history. I'd had quite a peculiar path in life to end up in the driving seat of this car. A unique situation.
Autumn 2015. I am filling the test car's fuel tank with pure UPM BioVerno diesel from a jerrycan in our carport. When the car is filled up, I go in to fetch my three children, and we all get in the test car. I turn around in the driving seat to tell my children that this will be a trip that nobody else has taken before. This is met with some surprise, and I go on to explain that we will be the first to drive using diesel produced from crude tall oil at the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery. We drive off, smiling — it was great to be able to share this special moment with my children.
Autumn 2016. Since October 2015, the buses between Helsinki and Kerava city have been using different blends of UPM BioVerno diesel. The distance between Helsinki and Kerava is around 35 kilometers and it takes about 30 minutes to drive there. I participated the first bus trip using 20% UPM BioVerno diesel blend.
In the beginning of September 2016, the fuel in Helsinki-Kerava buses was changed to 100% UPM BioVerno. Every passenger on those buses has been able to experience something previously only experienced by the Vauhkonen family. They have travelled with pure Finnish diesel made from crude tall oil — and become a part of the history of biofuels and the future of Finland.
Quite a travel story. And the journey continues.
