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Company Profile
Time is running out to cut carbon:
Achieve net-zero with biodiesel today ABOVE: City of Madison forestry dump truck in front of headquarters building. (Photo provided)
By Harper York | Optimus Technologies
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ahanth Joishy, superintendent of fleet services for Madison, Wis., knows that the clock is ticking. The time to cut carbon from his fleet is now. In April 2021, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway unveiled the Climate Forward agenda to guide all municipal operations in the city. Climate Forward has mandated that all Madison infrastructure and vehicles run on 100% renewable sources and be carbon neutral by 2030. It’s an aggressive and ambitious goal, but it’s also the level of commitment that is necessary to make a significant impact on climate change. The city of Madison strives to be an example to the region in every aspect, especially
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when it comes to leading the charge toward sustainability. While electrification presents a sustainable solution for light applications, every municipality across the country relies on heavy-duty vehicles for emergency response, refuse collection and snow removal. For these heavy applications, where routes can be long and duty cycles relentless, electrification just isn’t ready, and it certainly isn’t affordable. With the clock ticking and the need to act now, both for the environment and to meet municipal commitments, waiting for heavy-duty electric vehicles isn’t an option. Many cities aren’t sure what else they can do, but luckily, for the city of Madison, Joishy knows the solution: locally made, 100% renewable biodiesel.
Pairing that biodiesel with Optimus Technologies’ Vector System allows Madison to achieve net-zero with their heavy equipment while supporting the local economy. From Lake Mendota, right in the heart of Madison, travel north along the Yahara River to Deforest, where you will find REG Madison. Renewable Energy Group, North America’s largest biodiesel producer, has a biorefinery strategically located to utilize the abundant local feedstock for biodiesel. Made from used cooking oil, animal tallow, as well as Wisconsin soybean oil, REG produces an advanced biofuel from materials once regarded as garbage. Biodiesel offers an immediate, low-carbon solution to the
