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Clean fuel: Chevron and Exxon explore alternatives to electric vehicles

Oil giants develop a new renewable gasoline that could reduce pollutant emissions from cars by up to 75%.

Gasolineras Exxon y Chevron.

Charles Hathaway y

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

Oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil have been testing for some months, different "renewable gasoline" formulations that seek to reduce pollutant emissions from conventional cars to the level of electric vehicles.

The country's two largest oil companies are seeking to develop new fuels from resources such as soybeans and other non-fossil raw materials. In partnership with Toyota Motors, the gasoline is being tested in the Japanese giant's vehicles.

How much does this new gasoline pollute?

Exxon said its fuel could reduce emissions by up to 75% compared to conventional gasoline.

Chevron indicated that its blend is "more than 40% less carbon intensive than traditional gasoline over its life cycle." And that it is 50% made from renewable resources.

Alternatives for light vehicles sought

Chevron noted that much testing remains to be done and that it could be years before the new gasoline is available for use in users' cars. However, Andy Walz - president of the company's Americas products - indicated that when this fuel is on the market, the useful life of gasoline could be extended:

We truly believe there have to be alternatives for light-duty vehicles. With more than 265 million gasoline-powered vehicles on U.S. roads today, renewable gasoline blends could empower virtually all drivers to play a role in a lower-carbon transportation future. We are excited to partner with Toyota for the opportunity to demonstrate low-carbon technologies that are compatible with internal combustion engines.

Waltz stated that government assistance will be needed to bring the fuel to market. This incentive could be similar to those already in place and provided for biodiesel and renewable diesel:

We believe it will need government assistance to get up and running and obtain scale.

The tests came at a time when the Biden Administration offered new pollution standards that could make electric vehicles the best-selling vehicles in the country by 2032, accounting for nearly two-thirds of sales by that year.

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