Renewable Fuel Solutions for Railroads

The rail industry continues to advance lower carbon solutions to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions using bio-mass based diesel in locomotives.

Looking to 2030 and beyond, reducing fossil carbon emissions associated with rail transportation will continue to require fuel-efficient technologies, the increased use of lower carbon fuels and designing innovative lower emission supply chain solutions through investments and collaboration.

Chevron Renewable Energy Group's lower carbon fuel solutions can help railroads lower lifecycle carbon emissions. In addition, these solutions can help the industry work toward lower carbon targets while offering engine performance benefits and reliable supply — typically all without any major infrastructure changes, making it a relatively easy transition.

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How To Start Your Transition to Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel

When evaluating various lower carbon fuel solutions, your company should take a holistic approach and consider key factors such as technology readiness, operational impact, economic viability and fuel availability.

Biodiesel and renewable diesel check all those boxes — including usability in virtually any existing equipment, maintaining operations and being easily implemented and readily available.

Two key benefits of renewable fuel solutions include:

the ability to use existing infrastructure, typically without additional investment

maintaining interoperability that is critical to the operations of the railroad industry

As these fuels see increased adoption, lower carbon fuel producers such as Chevron continue to invest in enhancing the availability of these renewable fuels to market. One such example is the improvement and expansion of our Geismar biorefinery, which will increase production site capacity from 90 million gallons of renewable diesel production per year to 340 million gallons per year and helping Chevron achieve its stated target of 100,000 barrels per day by 2030.

Another relevant aspect is the availability of feedstocks that go into making lower carbon fuels. Chevron Renewable Energy Group has a diversified strategy to source feedstocks reliably. Our feedstock flexibility helps ensure more predictable pricing, greater availability and lower carbon intensity.

Proven, Lower Carbon Fuels for Rail

EnDura Fuels™ is Chevron Renewable Energy Group's complete line of lower carbon fuel solutions that can help you work toward your company’s lower carbon and profitability targets today.

Rail companies should consider using biodiesel and renewable diesel fuel solutions, such as InfiniD™, PuriD™ and UltraClean BlenD™, all products of EnDura Fuels™ lineup.

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Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Can Help Reduce Lifecycle Carbon Emissions

Biodiesel blended with conventional diesel at varying levels has become fairly commonplace in the rail industry for nearly a decade, driven by its ability to be a drop-in solution.

Several key locomotive and engine manufacturers have already approved varying levels of biodiesel blends. Many OEMs approve the use of 100% renewable diesel (RD100) and blends of up to 20% biodiesel (B20) in their locomotive engines. These approvals have resulted in increased biodiesel utilization across rail networks to drive lifecycle carbon emissions reduction while also benefitting from incentives and market blend economics.

Q & A: Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel in the North American Rail Industry

Get insights on how biodiesel and renewable diesel play a role in helping to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions for locomotives.

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A Reliable, Lower Carbon Option

Railroads, national labs and OEMs are making significant progress with biofuels to gain confidence in performance aspects such as supply chain reliability, cold weather operability and transparency in handling under current infrastructure and operating procedures.

Why bio-mass based diesel from Chevron Renewable Energy Group?

Simple, Lower Carbon Solution

Carbon Intensity (CI) scores that are lower than petroleum diesel allow for reduced carbon intensity now
Use as a drop-in fuel or as a blend with traditional fuels in virtually any existing engine infrastructure

Improved Performance and Excellent Quality

Enhanced lubricity may help engines run smoother, cooler and quieter
Lower particulate matter may help reduce DPF clogging and regenerations
Stringent standards that exceed ASTM, CEN and CGSB quality requirements
Biodiesel and renewable diesel can be a safer fuel in terms of combustibility and impact on the environment in the event of spillage³

Trusted and Proven Supply Partner

Reliable production, supply, terminal infrastructure and logistics to be your partner
International and domestic production footprint helps mitigate geopolitical risks of supply
Feedstock flexibility provides added assurance of supply
Our proprietary customer portal provides customers with online access to information regarding their accounts and deliveries, including invoices, BOLs and volumes.

Case Studies

Case Study -- CN

Canada’s largest railway, CN, has set bold objectives around sustainability to reach a goal of 43% reduction in carbon emission intensity by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline — as well as committing to setting a 2050 net zero target.

Case Study -- Union Pacific

A single Union Pacific Railroad train can move one ton of freight more than 450 miles on just one gallon of diesel fuel, making its trains four times more efficient than trucks. In fact, one UP train can carry as much freight as 300 trucks. But UP is determined to do better.

“The transition to 100% renewable fuel levels has been seamless for CN and its customers since initial testing began. Prior concerns about cold-weather operations have not been experienced so far, with trains running at full capacity with no issues. What’s most important is that we made this adjustment without any impact to our operations or to our customers. They don’t see any difference in the service that we offer.”

-Francois Belanger, Carbon Transition Director, CN

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1. Product is produced from renewable oils and fats. Methanol used to make biodiesel and hydrogen used to make renewable diesel and SAF are typically made from conventional natural gas but can be produced from renewable resources.

2. Carbon intensity for EVs based on eGRID 2020 figures and EV EER of 3.8 for transit buses per National Renewable Energy Laboratory

3. https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/biodiesel_benefits.html