City of Raleigh First in Southeast to Offer R99 Diesel

The City of Raleigh is proudly leading the way as the first municipality in the Southeast to use renewable diesel, setting a new standard for sustainability in our region!

As Vehicle Fleet Services continues to find ways to create a more sustainable fleet, R99 renewable diesel fuel has officially entered our City of Raleigh fuel pumps.

We are excited to bring R99 fuel to our City of Raleigh fuel pumps. With only a few fuel refiners in the United States creating renewable diesel, all located in the Midwest and on the West Coast, it took significant collaboration to make this happen. Our Vehicle Fleet Services fiscal team worked closely with Procurement to set up a contract with Mansfield Energy for renewable diesel delivery to our Central Operations location.

While the cost of the R99 is slightly higher than regular diesel, the benefits outweigh the price significantly. This new diesel fuel option is chemically the same as petroleum diesel but is made with recently living biomass rather than the typical crude oil. R99 diesel fuel uses repurposed animal fats, secondhand/inedible cooking oil, and agricultural waste products. After impurities are removed with processing, it undergoes treatment using high-pressure hydrogen which eliminates the oxygen and extracts any water. Therefore, it has a very low carbon footprint and is a sustainable alternative to the traditional diesel fuel. The best part about it is that it can be used in all diesel engines, with no need for any modifications to the vehicle, making it a seamless substitute for regular diesel.

Our Central Operations fuel pumps are operating as a trial run for the R99 diesel fuel. If it goes well, we plan to expand it to the rest of our diesel fuel pumps.