Chevron, Toyota unveil new, more environmentally friendly gasoline
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) - Chevron and Toyota unveiled a brand-new gasoline during a Future Fuels Showcase in Baton Rouge on Tuesday. The companies say it's an innovation that will offer customers a more environmentally friendly fuel option.
"At Chevron, we're always looking to make fuel more reliable and affordable, and this is an extension of that effort," said Chevron spokesperson, Ross Allen.
According to Andy Walz, Chevron’s president of Americas Products, “With more than 265 million gasoline-powered vehicles on the road today in the United States, renewable gasoline blends could empower virtually all drivers to have a role in a lower carbon transportation future. We are excited to partner with Toyota for the opportunity to demonstrate lower carbon technologies that are compatible with internal combustion engines.”
How is it more environmentally friendly?
The new fuel is a renewable gasoline blend made from biomass and conventional components. Chevron says it can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by more than 40 percent compared to traditional gasoline.
The company says, "We're using renewable feedstock to make lower carbon intensity blends of gasoline. With our advanced methods of combining renewable and traditional blendstocks, we've created an exceptional fuel."
What kinds of vehicles can use it?
When asked what kinds of vehicles are compatible with the new gasoline, Allen replied, "Current technology works great with this fuel."
He went on to explain that most modern vehicles would do well with it. That said, because the fuel contains ethanol, it would not be a good fit for certain older models.
Is it available in Louisiana?
Drivers who are ready to gas up with the renewable fuel may have to wait.
Allen said, "The way the federal government handles tax laws would need to change before the fuel becomes available to the public."
He explained that, with the exception of California, the way renewable fuels are taxed doesn't make selling the new gas to consumers feasible at this time.
But Chevron says this is only the beginning, and they're hopeful that the fuel will eventually become available in Louisiana and across the nation.
"We literally are demonstrating this for the first time to the public. It's the start of a conversation," Allen said.
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