BMW, Toyota, Bosch, and Repsol have launched a six-month pilot programme in Spain running approximately 20 vehicles exclusively on 100 percent renewable gasoline. The fuel they are using is Repsol’s Nexa 95 — already available at public filling stations in Spain — and it requires no modifications to the engines or fuel systems of the vehicles using it.
The question the pilot is trying to answer: can existing petrol-powered vehicles cut their carbon footprint significantly without electrification, simply by changing what fuel goes in the tank?
What Renewable Gasoline Actually Is
Renewable gasoline is not the same as conventional petrol and not the same as synthetic e-fuels like the kind Porsche has invested in.
It is produced from renewable feedstocks — biological or waste-derived materials — rather than crude oil. The result is a fuel that is chemically similar enough to conventional petrol to run in any existing petrol engine without modification. Same pump, same tank, same engine. The lifecycle carbon emissions are lower because the feedstocks used to produce it absorb carbon during their growth phase, partially offsetting the CO2 released when the fuel burns.
Repsol’s Nexa 95 meets the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive requirements, which is the regulatory standard that matters for any European carbon accounting. The “drop-in” nature is the key commercial argument — no infrastructure change, no vehicle modification, no consumer behaviour change beyond choosing a different pump. Hydrogen requires new distribution networks. EVs require charging infrastructure. Renewable gasoline works with what already exists.
Who Is Involved and What Each Company Is Doing
BMW is providing vehicles and programme oversight through its VEEF programme — Vehicles Exclusively running on Eligible Fuels. Dr. Stefan Heller, who leads that programme, has framed the pilot as part of BMW’s “technology openness” strategy: the belief that multiple pathways to decarbonisation should coexist rather than regulators mandating a single solution.
Toyota is providing additional vehicles and is the other major manufacturer behind the argument. Toyota has been the most publicly consistent voice among mainstream manufacturers arguing that electrification-only policy ignores regional differences in infrastructure, economics, and consumer readiness. Its involvement in the renewable gasoline pilot is consistent with that position — it wants renewable fuels recognised as a legitimate alternative path, not just a complement to EVs.
Repsol is the fuel supplier. The Spanish energy company produces Nexa 95 and has made it commercially available at filling stations in Spain rather than restricting it to a test environment. The pilot draws from the same public supply that regular Spanish motorists could use.
Bosch is handling the verification layer. Its “Digital Fuel Twin” technology tracks renewable gasoline from production through the pump and into individual vehicles, creating a documented chain of custody for each unit of fuel. The system uses vehicle telemetry, fuel-station data, and fuel-card transactions together. If regulators ever move toward awarding carbon credits based on fuel type rather than vehicle type — which is the regulatory shift BMW and Toyota are arguing for — Bosch’s tracking capability is what makes that auditable.
What the Pilot Is Really About
The six-month test in Spain is not primarily a technical experiment. The fuel works. Petrol engines run on renewable gasoline without modification — that is not in dispute.
The audience for this pilot is European policymakers, and the data being collected is intended for regulators rather than consumers.
The EU has set a 2035 target for ending sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Most member states and the European Commission have interpreted that as mandating a shift to battery-electric vehicles. BMW and Toyota are making a different argument: that the EU’s emissions goals should be technology-neutral, and that renewable gasoline — measured on lifecycle carbon rather than tailpipe emissions only — can meet the same targets the EV mandate is designed to achieve.
The political environment has shifted enough to make this argument worth making. There has been growing pressure within the EU to recognise alternative fuels as a pathway to carbon neutrality, with synthetic e-fuels already winning a partial exemption for certain vehicles after Porsche and others lobbied for it. BMW and Toyota are now making the case for renewable gasoline to receive similar recognition.
The data from the Spanish pilot will be submitted to regulators and industry groups as part of that argument. A six-month real-world dataset covering 20 vehicles and an auditable fuel chain is more compelling to a regulator than a lab result or a manufacturer claim.
Why This Matters for Drivers With Existing Cars
The most immediately relevant aspect of renewable gasoline for most drivers is not the policy debate — it is the implication for existing vehicles.
There are hundreds of millions of petrol-powered cars on the road globally. Most of them will still be running in 2035. A fuel that cuts their lifecycle carbon emissions without requiring them to be replaced is a different kind of solution than electrification — it addresses the existing fleet rather than waiting for it to age out.
For car enthusiasts specifically, renewable gasoline preserves something that electrification does not: the mechanical and acoustic character of internal combustion. An engine running on renewable gasoline sounds and feels the same as one running on conventional petrol. A performance car built around the combustion experience does not have to be retired or converted to remain relevant under a renewable gasoline framework.
Porsche has made exactly this argument for synthetic e-fuels in the context of its own vehicles — the 911 can run on e-fuels and continue to be sold and driven in markets with strict emissions rules. BMW and Toyota are making a parallel argument for a fuel that is less expensive to produce and already available at public pumps.
Renewable Gasoline vs E-Fuels vs EVs — The Key Differences
These are three separate approaches to the same problem and the distinctions matter.
Renewable gasoline is produced from biological or waste feedstocks. Lower lifecycle carbon than conventional petrol. Works in any existing petrol engine. Available at existing filling stations. Relatively cost-effective compared to e-fuels but carbon reduction depends on feedstock availability and production scale.
Synthetic e-fuels are produced by combining captured CO2 with hydrogen from renewable electricity. Near-zero lifecycle carbon in ideal conditions. Also works in existing petrol engines. Currently very expensive to produce at scale — Porsche’s e-fuel facility in Chile produces at costs far above conventional petrol. Requires both the fuel production infrastructure and renewable electricity supply.
Battery-electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions and low lifecycle emissions when charged on renewable electricity. Require new vehicle purchases, charging infrastructure, and behaviour change. Solve the new vehicle problem but do not address the existing fleet.
BMW and Toyota’s argument is that policy designed around only one of these options ignores the real-world complexity of transition at scale. Countries with limited grid capacity, lower incomes, or existing infrastructure built around petrol distribution are poorly served by an EV-only policy. Renewable gasoline — and e-fuels for performance vehicles — offer additional paths.
What Comes Next
The pilot runs for six months. BMW, Toyota, Bosch, and Repsol will collect fuel usage data, vehicle performance data, and Bosch’s Digital Fuel Twin tracking records across the approximately 20 vehicles.
That data goes to European regulators and industry bodies as part of the ongoing policy discussion around the EU’s 2035 target. Whether it shifts regulatory thinking depends on political dynamics that the companies cannot control — but the commercial and technical argument is what the pilot is designed to support.
Repsol’s Nexa 95 renewable gasoline is already at public pumps in Spain. The infrastructure question — one of the main objections to renewable fuel pathways — is already answered for Spanish motorists. The question is whether European regulators accept the lifecycle carbon argument or maintain the position that only vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions qualify under the 2035 framework.
FAQs
What is renewable gasoline?
A fuel produced from renewable biological or waste feedstocks rather than crude oil. It is chemically similar to conventional petrol and works in existing engines without modification. Lifecycle carbon emissions are lower than conventional petrol.
Which companies are involved in the BMW Toyota renewable gasoline pilot?
BMW, Toyota, Bosch, and Repsol. BMW and Toyota provide vehicles. Repsol supplies the fuel. Bosch tracks usage with its Digital Fuel Twin technology.
Where is the pilot programme taking place?
Spain. The fuel used — Repsol’s Nexa 95 renewable gasoline — is already available at public filling stations in Spain.
How many vehicles are in the pilot?
Approximately 20 BMW and Toyota vehicles running exclusively on renewable gasoline for six months.
Does renewable gasoline require engine modifications?
No. It is a drop-in fuel replacement — same engines, same tanks, same filling stations.
What is BMW’s VEEF programme?
Vehicles Exclusively running on Eligible Fuels — BMW’s framework for testing and advocating for alternative fuels including renewable gasoline and e-fuels.
What is Bosch’s Digital Fuel Twin?
A tracking system that follows renewable gasoline from production through individual vehicle usage using vehicle telemetry, fuel-station data, and fuel-card records. Creates an auditable chain of custody for regulatory purposes.
How does renewable gasoline compare to e-fuels?
Both work in existing petrol engines. E-fuels are produced from captured CO2 and renewable hydrogen — potentially near-zero carbon but currently very expensive. Renewable gasoline uses biological feedstocks and is already commercially available at lower cost.
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