Have you ever wondered what actually powers a County Connection bus? Our fleet includes 125 buses: Eight of them are fully electric, while the remaining 117 run on diesel fuel—specifically, renewable diesel. If you’ve never heard of renewable diesel, don’t worry, we’ll break it down for you (and explain why renewable diesel is a big step towards a zero-emission fleet).
Unlike traditional diesel, which is made from petroleum, renewable diesel is made from natural, renewable sources like oils and fats from plants and animals. In the fuel industry, these materials are sometimes called feedstocks. The important thing to know is this: renewable diesel can replace regular diesel one-for-one, with no engine modifications required. That’s a big advantage. Other alternatives, like biodiesel, are typically sold as a 20% blend with regular diesel – any more than that requires significant and often pricy engine modifications due to corrosion.
Beyond where it comes from, renewable diesel has another major benefit—it burns much cleaner and has a far smaller ecological footprint! When taking into account the total lifecycle emissions resulting from the manufacture, transportation, and use of each fuel, renewable diesel generates about 65% fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than regular diesel. That’s a significant reduction in climate-impacting pollution.
And greenhouse gases aren’t the only concern. Bus exhaust also contains tiny particles, called particulate matter, which can affect air quality and human health. Renewable diesel helps here, too, producing 35–40% fewer particulate emissions than traditional diesel. As a bonus, its clean-burning nature is why you’ll barely notice any exhaust smell—and why County Connection buses’ tailpipes are so clean, even after years of use.
We believe the future of transportation is electric, however, unlike personal vehicles such as bicycles, automobiles, and pickup trucks, the technology is still evolving for large commercial vehicles like transit buses (perhaps a topic for a future Ask Andy?). County Connection’s use of renewable diesel represents a positive interim step while we move towards an electrified future. Until that day comes, renewable diesel is helping us drive cleaner, right now. And remember, any time you take the bus instead of a car, you’re helping the environment no matter what fuel is being used.
Andrew Smith is the Director of Planning & Marketing. Do you have question about County Connection? About our buses? About our routes and service? Email asmith@cccta.org and your question might be included in a future issue of our monthly newsletter, Headways.