Propel Renewable Diesel: Usable By Any Vehicle, Going Beyond 'Biodiesel'

Fuels produced using plant-based materials can offer a promising way to reduce the carbon emitted by road vehicles.
That's because their plant feedstocks absorb carbon dioxide from the air, bringing them far closer to a carbon-neutral footprint than any fuel refined from crude oil.
But for diesel-powered vehicles, the term "biodiesel" is used loosely and imprecisely--and often covers anything from plant-derived fuels to burning used deep-frier grease in your converted old Mercedes.
So last month's announcement that California-based Propel Fuels launched North America’s first retail rollout of High Performance Renewable diesel deserves some attention.
That's because "renewable diesel" is indistinguishable from conventional diesel fuel to any engine using compression ignition. The fuel sold by Propel is a 98-perent blend of Neste Oil’s fuel, refined from renewable biomass.
The scale of the rollout is larger than a mere trial: 18 stations throughout Northern California.
You can expect to hear more about renewable diesel fuel as states work to lower the carbon content of their fuel.