The week of April 8 was no ordinary week for Toyota Logistics Services and their routine processing of vehicles coming into the Port of Portland. Earlier as part of a pilot project, a very special blend of gasoline from Chevron was delivered to the site, which was used to fill the existing fuel tank. Then, on April 11, the vehicles that had come into port were processed, cleaned, and filled prior to being loaded up onto rail and heavy-duty trucks to be shipped to dealers.

Everything was routine for the employees doing their jobs – but the vehicles were all filled with and powered by Chevron’s drop-in renewable gasoline blend fuel, comprised of more than 50% renewable content.

Chevron reports their renewable gasoline blend can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by more than 40% compared to traditional gasoline. In the United States alone, more than 265 million vehicles are currently powered by gasoline. The average passenger vehicle is 12 years old and remains on the road for almost 20 years. That means that new cars sold today will still be on the road for decades, and, with the help of renewable gasoline blends, it is possible to reduce lifecycle emissions from these vehicles.

“The enormity of the climate challenge means that we’re going to have to work with other industries more and more,” said Mark McCarthy, Program Manager, Energy & Fuels, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “Using Chevron’s renewable gasoline blend for the first fill of the vehicle can mean real emissions reductions for our real operations – and it operates just like normal gasoline!”

Initially, Toyota worked closely with Chevron to test the fuel in the lab to determine compatibility with conventional internal combustion engines. The fuels were then put on the road as part of the “Future Fuels Showcase” in the spring of 2023. The showcase was a road test that included a Toyota Camry LE FWD, a RAV4 Prime, and a Tundra, all of which were entirely fueled with Chevron’s renewable gasoline blends and then driven on public roads from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Plano, Texas.

As the automotive industry transitions to the future, it is critical to take a comprehensive approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, invoking multiple solutions to focus on reducing carbon intensity. Vehicles powered by electricity, lower carbon intensity fuels, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas will all play essential parts in the process.

Watch the video below to see how this fuel played a big role as the “first fuel” for vehicles at the Port of Portland on April 11.