Bosch, Shell, & Volkswagen team up on new low-carbon gasoline

The available range of renewable low-carbon fuels is growing.

Following on from R33 Blue Diesel, Bosch, Shell, and Volkswagen have now come up with a low-carbon gasoline.

Their new fuel, called Blue Gasoline, similarly contains up to 33 percent renewables, ensuring a well-to-wheel reduction in carbon emissions of at least 20 percent per kilometer driven. This means a fleet of 1,000 VW Golf VIII 1.5 TSIs alone could save more than 230 metric tons of CO₂ per year, assuming an annual mileage of 10,000 kilometers each.

Shell will offset the remaining carbon emissions from the use of Blue Gasoline through certified offset arrangements. The initial plan is to make the fuel available at regular filling stations over the course of the year, starting in Germany.

Blue Gasoline fuel complies with the EN 228/E10 standard and even exceeds it in key parameters such as storage stability and boiling behavior. High-quality additives also keep the engine extremely clean and protect it against corrosion. This means not only that the fuel can be distributed via the existing filling station network, but also that it can be used in all new and existing vehicles for which Super 95 E10 gasoline has been approved.

The proportion of up to 33 percent renewables is made up of biomass-based naphtha or ethanol certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system. One source of such naphtha is what is known as tall oil, a by-product in the production of pulp for paper. But naphtha can also be obtained from other residual and waste materials.

Bosch will debut Blue Gasoline at its company filling stations as early as May 2021, starting with its Schwieberdingen site, with a rollout to the company’s filling stations at its Feuerbach and Hildesheim sites scheduled for the course of 2021. The supply of conventional Super 95 E10 gasoline will then be gradually phased out. Since the end of 2018, R33 Blue Diesel has been the only diesel fuel that Bosch company filling stations offer for company cars and internal delivery vehicles. R33 Blue Diesel is also becoming available at more and more regular filling stations in Germany. At present, it is offered at eight filling stations belonging to different brands nationwide, with more set to follow.