Optimus and Chevron Bring B100 to Customers
In recent years, the transportation industry has continued their lower carbon journey in efforts to reduce carbon emissions. As companies work towards these goals, pathways to reduce carbon emissions can be confusing. How should a company choose what to invest in? What solution would be best for them?
Optimus Technologies and Chevron are working together to help advance the industry by bringing 100% biodiesel (B100) to customers, helping them to make progress towards reducing their carbon intensity.
Optimus engine system innovation
Optimus engineers the Optimus Vector System, enabling diesel engines to operate on B100, which, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 70% on average compared to conventional diesel. In contrast, B20 offers a CO2 emission reduction of around 15%, further highlighting the benefits of B100.
The Vector System can be installed on new or used equipment and is equipped with the following elements to ensure smooth operation:
- Fuel selector valve, allowing the engine to switch between regular diesel and B100
- User interface, to provide the driver with system information including operational status, fuel level and alerts
- Biodiesel tank that includes an in-tank heat exchanger and fuel pickup and return lines
- Telematics data for service information, performance metrics and carbon accounting
- Vector manifold that includes a heat exchanger, fuel pump, sensors, and a dedicated biodiesel filter.
When using B100, fuel quality is paramount — Optimus works with Chevron to connect their users with fuel that meets Optimus’ fuel specifications.
“We work with Chevron for a variety of reasons,” said Colin Huwyler, CEO of Optimus Technologies. “Fuel quality is of critical importance. Because customers are using 100% biodiesel, we have a specification that's tighter than market standards, and we rely on Chevron because of the high-quality fuel product they manufacture. It exceeds the specifications that we require our customers to use.”
Chevron offers fuel for the journey
Integrating lower carbon intensity fuels doesn’t happen overnight. Chevron assists customers wherever they are on their fuel journey — from integrating a low biodiesel blend to scaling up to 100% biodiesel when they are ready.
“The relationship with Optimus is strategically very important to Chevron,” said Jon Scharingson, Director of Strategic initiatives at Chevron. “We've been selling to corporate fleets around the country for decades, and for a long time, they stopped at a B20 blend but they were looking to reduce their carbon intensity. The ability to utilize Optimus and their technology to run 100% biodiesel in diesel engine is a benefit.”
With Optimus’ innovative system and Chevron’s high-quality fuel and network availability, B100 can be a realistic solution for some customers. For more information, reach out to our team today.