Optimus Technologies, the manufacturer of a biodiesel conversion bolt-on upgrade for heavy diesel trucks, has confirmed to Clean Trucking that the installation and usage of this technology will not impact the vehicle’s original OEM warranty.
The upgrade allows for the use of 100% biodiesel, also known as B100 in unblended form, in a diesel engine that normally requires petroleum diesel.
"The use of higher biodiesel blends does not automatically void the OEM warranty,” Optimus CEO Colin Huwyler said. “However, the OEMs retain the right to investigate any warranty claims and failures determined to be resulting from biodiesel use will not be covered under warranty. Additionally, Optimus provides $50k of supplemental warranty per engine that covers the cost of any failures caused by the Optimus fuel system.”
Keeping the OEM warranty intact will help alleviate concerns from fleets and owner operators who might be considering switching to biodiesel, a pure fuel that can be a net zero-emission fuel. This allows for decarbonizing without having to invest in battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle alternatives at this time.
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel defined as a renewable fuel because it’s derived from biological sources like animal fats, vegetable oils, and even recycled restaurant grease. According to the Department of Energy, biodiesel meets both the biomass-based diesel and overall advanced biofuel requirement of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Like petroleum diesel, biodiesel is used to fuel compression-ignition engines. However, biodiesel has a 100% carbon reduction compared to fossil-based diesel.
Renewable diesel, another increasingly popular petroleum diesel clean alternative, is similar but not the same as biodiesel. Renewable diesel is a pure hydrocarbon diesel fuel that is chemically similar to fossil diesel. It’s also known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel. Biodiesel, in contrast, is a Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) product which is not a hydrocarbon.
A May 2022 American Transportation Research Institute Study noted that biodiesel produces 2.5 times less CO2 than an electric vehicle.
Additional biodiesel benefits, according to Optimus, is that biodiesel does not require additives and it increases engine lubricity. Furthermore, it decreases particulate matter in the engine and the aftertreatment system, and provides a much higher cetane value than petroleum diesel. Extreme weather, such as heavy snow and cold temperatures, has not impacted vehicle performance, idling, and starting.
According to the 2024 State of Sustainable Fleets market report, the average price of diesel dropped 12% to $3.32 per gallon while the price of the most commonly used biodiesel blend, B20, dropped by 9% to $3.25 per diesel gallon equivalent (DGE).
These factors have made biodiesel an attractive choice for fleets and operators who want to immediately move towards greater sustainability without having to make significant investments.
“Approximately 80% of our current business is integrating the technology into new purchase trucks through ship-thru or OEM arrangements,” Huwyler added.
Optimus co-founder and head of engineering & production, Jon Ewing, also told us at the ACT Expo that the company is currently developing the Detroit diesel 15-liter platform to accommodate the bolt-on upgrade. It is already available for all of the Cummins platforms from the 6.0-liter up to the 15-liter.
