This week's big news was BHP's opening of EURO 5 Petrol Stations in Malsyisa;s southern state of Johor. It has even made the news in major newspapers.

Here in Malaysia, newly sold trucks are compliant with EURO 3. The question we have been asked a number of times is by transporters is: Can we use EURO 5 Diesel in our vehicles?

We asked several OEMs and below is a summary.

What you won’t necessarily get is an improvement in the overall emissions. You need both clean fuel and a cleaner burning engine to do that. If you want Euro 5 emissions you need both Euro 5 standard fuel and a Euro 5 engine.

All new trucks currently sold by Scania for example have Euro 3 engines.

Does the Euro 5 specification Diesel actually work in these engines?
Yes. Just like older Euro 3 trucks in Europe that are running on Euro5 / Euro 6 fuel.

Would the effect of Emission reduction work the same way as a Euro 5 Engine using this Diesel?
No. Engine emission is determined by the engine technology in combination with the right fuel.
Just the fuel won’t have the desired effect.

The understanding is that the engine set-up is different for Euro 3 / Euro 5.
Definitely. A Euro 3 engine does not have any Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) or Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). These two technologies are used to reach emission standards >Euro 3).

Could there be harm to the Euro 3 Engines using Euro 5 Diesel?
No.

One OEM commented:
Euro 5 diesel is perfectly fine in our EU3 trucks. As a matter of fact, it can allow for longer service intervals since it is a better fuel (depending on engine make and model). However Euro 5 emission standard will not be met with euro 3 engine and euro 5 diesel combination.