Bosch, Toyota, BMW, and Repsol launch pilot of vehicles running on 100% renewable fuel

Bosch, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Europe, BMW Group and Repsol, have launched a pioneering six month pilot project in Spain. The pilot, which started in early July, will demonstrate the real world potential of vehicles running exclusively on eligible fuels (VEEF). The initiative will deploy a fleet of around 20 Toyota and BMW vehicles, powered by Repsol’s 100% renewable gasoline (Nexa 95), and supported by Bosch’s advanced digital fuel tracking technology.

This pilot aims to provide tangible, real world evidence that vehicles exclusively running on eligible fuels can be effectively deployed at scale, supporting Europe’s transition to decarbonise mobility through a complementary, technology neutral approach while leaving no one behind. Bosch’s digital fuel tracking solution will collect and validate refuelling data from multiple sources, including vehicle data, fuel stations and fuel card transactions, ensuring robust, transparent tracking of renewable fuel use.

‘With our digital fuel twin, Bosch is bringing full digital transparency to the entire fuel value chain to reliably track and verify the renewable fuels from the moment they enter the market right down to the end consumer. By precisely monitoring fuel usage on individual vehicles in real time, we are building the foundation of trust and regulatory compliance needed for higher acceptance of renewable fuels in the mobility and transport sector,’ said Dr Marko Babic, head of the Bosch product area in charge of the digital fuel twin.

‘Technology openness is a key pillar of the BMW Group strategy – at the same time our goal is always to have more environmentally friendly and efficient vehicles on the road. Our BMW and Mini vehicles as a part of this future oriented pilot, will help to gain valuable data helping us to offer our global customer the best and most efficient powertrain also in the future,’ said Stefan Heller, head of development of the VEEF programme at BMW Group.

The pilot will focus on three key objectives:

• Availability of renewable gasoline in the market – leveraging Repsol’s infrastructure, currently the only provider of 100% renewable gasoline at public fuel stations in Spain.
• Readiness of digital tracking and certification technologies – enabled by Bosch’s digital fuel twin system, which certifies renewable fuel use across the full lifecycle.
• Operational deployment of VEEF fleets – demonstrating that existing vehicles can run today on 100 % renewable fuels using existing infrastructure.

Unlike solutions that require new vehicle technologies or infrastructure investments, the pilot uses existing Toyota and Lexus passenger cars provided by Toyota España, and BMW fleet vehicles. It highlights the immediate scalability of renewable fuels as a drop-in solution for decarbonising road transport. Repsol’s Nexa 95 renewable gasoline is produced from RED compliant (Renewable Energy Directive) feedstocks, offering significant greenhouse gas reductions compared to fossil fuels, while remaining fully compatible with today’s gasoline engines and infrastructure. Spain has been selected as the optimal location for this demonstration due to the availability of renewable gasoline, strong partner collaboration, and Toyota España’s operational support.

‘At Repsol, we believe every emission reduction solution has a role to play in decarbonising transport. This project underscores how renewable fuels can expand consumer choice, offering another way to reduce carbon footprints using existing vehicles and infrastructure. As the only company currently supplying 100% renewable gasoline at public service stations in Spain, Repsol is proud to contribute its expertise and infrastructure alongside Toyota, BMW, and Bosch. The project’s real world data will demonstrate the value of a technology neutral approach to Europe’s mobility transition,’ said Estíbaliz Pombo, deputy director of energy products at Repsol.

The pilot is designed to generate robust data and insights that will support ongoing European policy discussions on decarbonising the automotive sector.

With EU policy currently focused predominantly on electrification, the project aims to demonstrate that renewable fuels can play a complementary and scalable role in reducing CO₂ emissions. Data and intermediate findings from the pilot will be shared with EU policymakers, industry stakeholders and media audiences, contributing to discussions around technology neutrality and the potential inclusion of VEEF vehicles within future regulatory frameworks.

‘We believe renewable fuels can play a key role alongside electrification in reducing CO₂ emissions. As the transition progresses, it is becoming clear that there is a growing risk that 100% zero emission vehicles by 2035 may not be fully achieved. In such a scenario, renewable fuels can help bridge the gap to deliver carbon neutrality, especially when combined with hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies. This pilot aims to demonstrate how renewable fuels can make a meaningful and sustainable contribution to decarbonisation today, for both new and existing vehicles,’ said Pascal Ruch, vice president corporate and governmental affairs, Toyota Motor Europe.

A key success factor of the project will be promoting the effective use of renewable fuel across the fleet, supporting emissions reductions and advocacy impact. The pilot will also provide valuable insights for research and development validation and monitoring methods, the scalability of existing approaches for tracking physical fuelling, and fuel operator’s ability to link fuel consumption to individual vehicles.