Coast-to-coast drive on NEXBTL renewable diesel nets 66.7 mpg

If you're not the type, surely you know somebody who is. On a road trip, they will let nothing disrupt their strict schedule, driving with the single-minded purpose of getting to the destination. No stopping to stretch or take a picture at the scenic overlook, no bathroom breaks unless it's an emergency, and fill-ups at the gas station are handled with the timely precision of a pit stop in a grand prix. If you know someone like this (it's your dad, isn't it?), don't tell them about the coast-to-coast road trip that CLP Motorsports and Neste just accomplished on a single tank of fuel.

Pat O'Keefe, the president and CEO of CLP Motorsports and vice president of Golden Gate Petroleum, had the bright idea to attempt a coast-to-coast road trip in a lightweight car on a single tank of renewable diesel made by Finnish company Neste Oil. Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel is a low-carbon, bio-based drop-in fuel (Neste claims 90-percent less greenhouse gas emissions over its lifecycle). Rather than blending it as an admixture, O'Keefe and his team filled the tank of their road trip ride with NEXBTL and set out from Jacksonville, FL with Santa Monica, CA as their destination. Their chariot was the CLP Motorsports Superlite Coupe, an aerodynamic, street-legal racecar powered by a Volkswagen 1.9-liter TDI engine. Along the way, they'd stop to pick up none other than Tanner Foust to take the wheel for the final leg of the journey.

The trip was a success, and the team drove the 2,507 miles across the country without having to stop to refuel. They used 37.6 gallons (yes, that is, admittedly, a pretty big fuel tank) of NEXBTL, clocked an average speed of 67.7 miles per hour and averaged 66.7 miles per gallon. Not too shabby.

They had scheduled stops in major cities along the way. The team also had to stop several times to allow their support vehicles to refuel. Whether there were any arguments over bathroom breaks is unknown.

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