BMW and Toyota have launched a six-month pilot program in Spain to test renewable gasoline in standard vehicles.
The fuel, produced from used cooking oil and organic waste, is chemically similar to conventional gasoline and requires no engine modifications.
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The project involves around 20 BMW and Toyota cars running exclusively on Repsol's Nexa 95 renewable gasoline.
Bosch supplies its Digital Fuel Twin technology to track and verify the fuel's use throughout the supply chain.
Three Main Goals
The pilot aims to prove that renewable gasoline can be supplied through existing public fuel stations. It also seeks to validate Bosch's digital certification system for renewable fuels.
Finally, the partners want to demonstrate that today's gasoline vehicles can operate on renewable fuel without mechanical changes or new infrastructure.
Renewable gasoline is produced from feedstocks like used cooking oil and agricultural waste.
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While it still emits CO₂ at the tailpipe, its overall carbon footprint is lower because the carbon comes from recently living sources, not fossil reserves.
Spain was chosen because Repsol operates the country's only public network offering 100% renewable gasoline.
The timing aligns with Europe's plan to effectively end sales of new combustion cars by 2035, though exemptions for carbon-neutral fuels are still debated.
BMW and Toyota have long argued against an all-EV approach.
They believe renewable fuels can bridge the gap if the EU's 2035 zero-emissions targets are not fully met.
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The companies will share pilot data with European lawmakers to support regulations that recognize vehicles running exclusively on renewable fuels.
