Co-Optima initiative focused on combining biofuels and combustion R&D

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), eight other national laboratories and the industry on the Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. This first-of-its-kind effort is focused on combining biofuels and combustion R&D, building on decades of advances in both fuels and engines. The Co-Optima goal is to simultaneously transform both transportation fuels and vehicles to maximize performance and energy efficiency, minimize environmental impact and accelerate widespread adoption.

The Co-Optima initiative takes a three-pronged, integrated approach to identifying and developing:

• Engines to run more efficiently on affordable, scalable, and sustainable fuels.
• Fuels to work in high-efficiency, low-emissions engines.
• Marketplace strategies to make new fuels and vehicle technologies attractive to industry and consumers.

Project partners include:

• DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
  • Vehicle Technologies Office.
  • Bioenergy Technologies Office.

• National Laboratories
  • Argonne National Laboratory.
  • Idaho National Laboratory.
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory.
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
  • Sandia National Laboratories.