BMW And Toyota Testing Gas Cars With Renewable Fuel
by Adrian Padeanu · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- Already underway, the pilot program is taking place in Spain due to the greater availability of renewable gasoline.
- Besides Toyota and Repsol, Bosch is also involved, supplying its digital fuel-tracking system to collect the relevant data.
- Through the initiative, BMW and Toyota aim to prove that decarbonization is possible not only for new vehicles but also for those already on the road.
BMW is adamant that decarbonization involves more than simply forcing everyone into an EV. It’s an unrealistic goal that some regulators are pursuing, especially since charging infrastructure remains uneven. Electric cars also continue to cost more than equivalent combustion-powered models. At the same time, new cars are becoming more expensive every year, putting them out of reach for many buyers who have no choice but to keep their existing vehicles longer.
Instead of focusing on new cars, BMW believes we should pay closer attention to the ones already on the road. While it’s difficult to estimate exactly how many vehicles are in use worldwide, some estimates put the figure at roughly 1.5 billion. That represents tremendous potential to reduce emissions and lessen their impact on an already fragile environment.
BMW has already shown its support for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO100). It’s a renewable diesel alternative made from biological residues and waste materials such as used cooking oil and animal fats. Now, it’s turning its attention to a different type of fuel compatible with gasoline-powered cars. It’s teaming up with Toyota to trial around 20 vehicles over the next six months using Repsol’s Nexa 95. It’s fully renewable gasoline made from renewable feedstocks and compliant with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED).
Reducing Emissions Of Existing Cars
As you can imagine, powering cars with renewable gasoline has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional fossil fuels. Cutting CO2 emissions from existing vehicles could make a meaningful difference long before the infrastructure is ready for mass EV adoption.
Bosch is supporting the initiative by providing its digital fuel tracking system to monitor how the cars are fueled throughout the six-month trial. Spain was chosen for the pilot program because Repsol already offers renewable gasoline at public filling stations. In addition to BMW and Toyota models, several Lexus vehicles are participating. All cars come from the BMW Group and Toyota Spain fleets.
While renewable gasoline and diesel are emerging as drop-in solutions to reduce emissions from existing vehicles, it’s still too early to say whether production can be scaled to the levels required. Even so, every step in that direction matters. There’s certainly potential, and this real-world test wants to prove it’s feasible. Since the cars don’t require any mechanical changes, refueling with renewable gasoline wouldn’t be a burden.
In an ideal world, everyone would already be driving EVs powered by renewable energy. However, expecting a complete transition anytime soon simply isn’t realistic.
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