ClearFlame Engine Technologies has completed an on-road demonstration of its first heavy-duty truck to run on 100% renewable plant-based fuel.

The demonstration of its proprietary engine technology was implemented by taking a Class 8 diesel truck running on a heavy-duty engine – commonly used for long-haul truck and off-highway applications – and converting it to run on renewable E98 ethanol.

The trucks with the new engine technology will help reduce carbon emissions as well as lower air quality emissions like particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

ClearFlame, which secured $17 million (£12.6m) in Series A financing four months ago, claims it has the potential to mitigate carbon in the heavy-duty truck sector “faster than any alternative, including hydrogen and battery EV, without compromising engine performance”, as its technology can be used anywhere diesel engines are currently used.

BJ Johnson, ClearFlame CEO and Co-founder said: “This demonstration proves the workability of our technology that takes the dirty diesel fuel out of heavy-duty trucks.

“The transportation sector is currently the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Simply hoping that we get to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 is not good enough. If we want to get serious in the fight against climate change, we need more solutions that can enable swift decarbonisation today, particularly for heavy-duty trucks, which are among the worst offenders.”

The company will continue testing its truck under various operating conditions through the first quarter of 2022, with customer beta testing expected to be underway by the end of the year.