Green driving with AdBlue

Modern campers use AdBlue technology to meet the latest legal environmental standards. Diesel engines with a Euro 6d-temp certificate have significantly lower emissions thanks to AdBlue. But: what exactly is this magic potion?

AdBlue is a liquid consisting of demineralized water with 32.5 percent urea. This liquid is injected into the exhaust system during driving, between the diesel engine and the catalytic converter. This creates a chemical reaction in which the toxic nitrogen oxide – NOx – from the exhaust gases is converted into much less harmful water vapor and nitrogen.

Diesel cleaner than petrol

AdBlue reduces NOx emissions by 85 percent. As a result, a modern diesel engine emits even less nitrogen oxide than the same car with a petrol engine. In this way, nitrogen oxide emissions are minimized and the particulate filter reduces soot particles to an absolute minimum. As a result, modern diesel engines are cleaner than petrol engines, and this is supported by various scientific studies. This technology has been applied in trucks since 2006, and AdBlue was introduced in the passenger car industry from 2014.

Modern campers with a Euro 6d-temp diesel engine are now also equipped with AdBlue technology. They have a separate tank on board that needs to be refilled regularly. In Fiat, Citroën and Peugeot models, you will find the blue AdBlue cap under the fuel tank cap. In the Mercedes Sprinter, the cap is under the bonnet. To see how AdBlue works in practice, we compare a camper based on the Mercedes Sprinter with one based on the Fiat Ducato.

Mercedes more economical than Fiat

Campers that use the Mercedes Sprinter as a base vehicle have a 22-liter AdBlue tank on board. For campers based on the Fiat Ducato, this is a 15-liter tank. Research by the German magazine Promobil shows that the Mercedes Sprinter uses approximately 2 percent AdBlue per liter of diesel. For the Fiat Ducato, this is double: 4 percent.

These percentages are consistent with our experiences. With a Fiat, you will therefore have to refuel AdBlue more often, also because the AdBlue tank is only 15 liters. So you will be at the pump more often than with a Mercedes-based camper, and this is also evident in practice: during our experiences with a Hymer BMC semi-integrated, we received a signal after 7,000 kilometers that we needed to refill AdBlue. You then have more than 2,000 kilometers to find a pump.

With a Frankia based on the Fiat Ducato, a signal appeared after barely 2000 kilometers that the AdBlue supply needed to be refilled. Due to both the higher consumption and the smaller tank, you have a range of about 3,000 kilometers compared to 9,000 with Mercedes. An advantage of Mercedes is also that you always see how much AdBlue you still have. This while with the Fiat you have to blindly rely on the messages the system gives that you need to refill.

Jerry can or at the pump

AdBlue is available at almost every gas station. At least: in plastic jerry cans. But then you pay top dollar, because in Germany we once paid – converted – 3 euros per liter that way, while at the pump it costs about 65 cents per liter. Usually you then have to rely on the larger gas stations along the highway, where you then have to join the trucks. Just like for fuel, the same applies to AdBlue: you can refuel most cheaply at gas stations that are not on the highway. This is because refueling along the highway is simply much more expensive.

A useful website to find gas stations is www.findadblue.com of which there is also an app for your smartphone.

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