Energy company Repsol is working with Toyota Motor Europe, BWM and Bosch on a 'real-world' pilot project to find out how existing vehicles will operate when powered using renewable gasoline.
The six-month project, which started at the beginning of July, is designed to generate robust data and insights that will support ongoing European policy discussions on decarbonising the automotive sector, the companies said.
Taking place in Spain, the project will deploy around 20 Toyota and BMW vehicles which will be powered by Nexa95. This fuel is produced from renewable energy directive (RED) compliant feedstocks. The project, which is supported by Bosch’ digital fuel tracking technology, will also provide insights for R&D validation and monitoring methods.
“As the transition progresses, it is becoming clear that there is a growing risk that 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035 may not be fully achieved. In such a scenario, renewable fuels can help bridge the gap to deliver carbon neutrality," said said Pascal Ruch, vice resident corporate and governmental affairs, Toyota Motor Europe. "This pilot aims to demonstrate how renewable fuels can make a meaningful and sustainable contribution to decarbonisation today for both new and existing vehicles.”
The project has three key objectives:
- Demonstrating that existing vehicles can run today on 100% renewable fuels using existing infrastructure.
- Availability of renewable gasoline in the market, leveraging Repsol’s infrastructure. The company is currently the only provider of 100% renewable gasoline at public fuel stations in Spain.
- Readiness of digital fuel tracking and certification technologies. This will make use of Bosch’s “Digital Fuel Twin” system, which certifies renewable fuel usage across the full life cycle. Bosch’s technology will allow for the collection and validation of refuelling data from multiple sources, including fuel stations to allow for the tracking of renewable energy fuel usage.
“This project underscores how renewable fuels can expand consumer choice, offering another way to reduce carbon footprints using existing vehicles and infrastructure," said Estibaliz Pombo, deputy director of energy products at Repsol. "The project’s real-world data will demonstrate the value of a technology-neutral approach to Europe’s mobility transition."
Data and intermediate findings from the project will be shared with EU policy makers, industry stakeholders and wider audiences to allow for discussions around technology neutrality and the potential inclusion of vehicles running exclusively on renewable fuels in future regulatory frameworks.
At end of May, Repsol’s second 100% renewable fuels production plant went into production. Located at the company’s Puertollano Industrial Complex, Spain, the facility has an output of 200 000 tonnes of fuel each year. Repsol said the facility required an investment of €130 million utilises used cooking oil as well as agricultural waste as feedstock.
The plant’s output can be used in cars, trucks and ships, leveraging existing refuelling infrastructure. Repsol adds the fuel from the plant will prevent the emissions of some 700 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Further reading:
- Sustainable aviation fuel project makes progress
- BP and Corteva launch biofuel feedstock joint venture
- Startup wants to turn plant waste into biofuel for planes and ships
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