Shell Germany develops a petrol with up to 33 % renewables content

10-05-2021 | Shell Germany announced advances in their developments of a "blue gasoline" with a minimum of 20 % CO₂ emission reductions. This is accomplished by adding a mix of renewable naphtha and ethanol to conventional petrol and thereby displacing a third of the fossil content. The renewable naphtha is produced residues and waste streams, e.g. from tall oil which is a by-product of paper mills. Shell committed to offsetting the remaining well-to-wheel CO₂ emissions from their blue gasoline by promoting a selection of carbon offset projects.

Developed in cooperation with Volkswagen and Bosch, the new blue gasoline forms the counterpart to Shell's R33 diesel fuel, which is likewise composed of up to 33 % renewables. It successfully passed various engine- and vehicle tests to qualify for meeting the EN 228/E10 norm. Therefore, it is fit for use in any vehicle that is eligible for E10 petrol fuelling. A distinct feature of the fuel is its storage stability, making it also promising for use in plug-in hybrids that mostly drive on electricity.

Similar to R33 diesel, the new petrol will be offered at the factory service stations of Volkwagen and Bosch. Further uses (in analogy to R33 diesel) will be explored and implemented shortly.

See here for the original press release (in German).