Repsol, Toyota Motor Europe, BMW Group and Bosch launch 100% renewable petrol pilot in Spain

Electrification is not the only route to cutting CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. As the car industry searches for multiple ways to decarbonise, new alternatives keep emerging that could extend the life of internal combustion engines.

Repsol 100% renewable petrol pilot with Toyota Motor Europe, BMW Group and Bosch

Against this backdrop, Repsol has teamed up with Toyota Motor Europe, the BMW Group and Bosch to launch a pilot project designed to assess, under genuine day-to-day driving conditions, how 100% renewable petrol performs.

For the Munich-based manufacturer, the programme aligns with its approach of providing different propulsion solutions depending on the requirements of each market.

Toyota takes a similar view. While it expects electrification to remain central, it argues that renewable fuels can help deliver carbon neutrality-particularly if the shift to fully electric vehicles does not progress at the pace anticipated.

Bosch’s contribution comes via the Digital Fuel Twin: a digital platform that tracks and monitors the fuel’s entire use cycle, from refuelling through to consumption in the vehicle, ensuring that only renewable fuels are used.

How will it work?

The intention is not simply to test a fuel. This project is meant to show that the solution can be deployed at scale using today’s vehicles and the existing refuelling infrastructure, without any technical changes to the cars.

Over the next six months, a fleet of around 20 BMW, MINI, Toyota and Lexus models, fuelled exclusively with this 100% renewable petrol, will be driven in Spain. The data gathered during this period will be used to assess the fuel’s performance in real-world use.

Once the pilot ends, the information collected will be shared with European decision-makers, regulators and other stakeholders across the automotive sector.

Why Spain?

There is a straightforward reason the pilot is starting in Spain: it is the only country where Repsol offers 100% renewable petrol at public filling stations, making it possible to test the fuel in everyday conditions.

Made from feedstocks compatible with the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED), this petrol can be used in current petrol engines without any modifications. According to the Spanish company, it enables a significant reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions.

A political dimension: technological neutrality and decarbonising mobility

Beyond the engineering aspects, the initiative also has a policy angle. The aim is to inform the debate on technological neutrality and to argue that renewable fuels should be recognised as a complementary solution alongside electrification in the decarbonisation of mobility.