Fontaine Modification adds B100-capability upgrade from Optimus to hundreds of new orders

Some of the hundreds of new trucks upgraded by Fontaine Modification with Optimus Technologies’ decarbonization solution. (Photo: Fontaine Modification)

Fontaine Modification announced May 30 it is equipping new Class 8 trucks with the proven decarbonization upgrade created by Optimus Technologies.

Recent orders include hundreds of new Volvo VNL trucks.

With the Optimus upgrade, heavy-duty diesel engines operate on either 100 percent biodiesel (B100) or traditional petroleum-diesel fuel.

Optimus technology is now on the road in more than 750 new and existing vehicles throughout the country, according to CEO Colin Huwyler.

“We heard at the recent Advanced Clean Transportation Expo from the CEO of Ryder that converting a truck to an electric vehicle (EV) increases operating costs by 94 percent, and the J.B. Hunt president said plugging in their fleet would take 1 percent of the U.S. electrical grid,” Huwyler said. “At Optimus, we’ve accumulated more than 10 million miles of proof that our high-performance ecosystem of products works reliably in all operating conditions, providing a financially and environmentally sound solution for heavy-duty fleets.”

Fontaine Modification completes post-production modifications to commercial vehicles, bridging the gap between what original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can produce and what customers need.

Fontaine adds Optimus’ technology to new trucks for most major OEMs, with Volvo’s VNL platform so far receiving the largest number of upgrades.

“The Optimus system provides a path toward lowering carbon emissions that can be employed in the near term with good results,” said Mike Randolph, vice president of sales and marketing at Fontaine Modification. “We are happy to be able to install the system on new trucks.”

Optimus’ upgrade also was validated by a rigorous 16-month, 1.3-million-mile study conducted by ADM Trucking. 

Brandon Rick with ADM Trucking said, “Any fleet that intends to meet scope 1 emissions goals should see Optimus as an immediate, viable means to make tomorrow’s goals real today.”

The carbon-reduction properties of biodiesel, a fuel made from recycled cooking oil, agricultural byproducts and waste animal fats, are well documented.

Nearly all of the most prominent scope carbon-reporting standards find biodiesel reduces scope 1 carbon emissions by 100 percent when compared to fossil diesel, according to Fontaine Modification.

Optimus’ ecosystem also includes a customer dashboard to monitor and report on fuel use and carbon reductions and a fuel-management system to prevent driver error in refueling.

At approximately $30,000 on average, the upgrade costs less than heavy-duty EVs, with Class 8 EV-truck prices reaching nearly three times the cost of a base diesel truck.

Optimus also compares favorably to the cost of other clean-fuel engine technologies, especially when considering the capital requirements necessary for an entirely new refueling infrastructure.

Optimus’ engine upgrade can be ordered through Fontaine by adding the appropriate OEM ship-through code to the dealer order.

Customers can use code 949001 for Volvo trucks, LARFON for International trucks, and 99B-014 for Freightliner, or contact Fontaine directly for additional OEM order codes.