Fontaine Modification Adds Optimus Technologies Upgrade to Hundreds of New Orders
PITTSBURGH and CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fontaine Modification is equipping new Class 8 trucks with the proven decarbonization upgrade created by Optimus Technologies, Inc. Recent orders include hundreds of new Volvo VNL trucks.
With the Optimus upgrade, heavy-duty diesel engines operate on either 100% 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 Chief Executive Officer Colin Huwyler.
“We heard at the recent Advanced Clean Transportation Expo from the CEO of Ryder that converting a truck to EV increases operating costs by 94%, and the J.B. Hunt President said plugging in their fleet would take 1% of the US 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 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. We are happy to be able to install the system on new trucks,” said Mike Randolph, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fontaine Modification.
Optimus’ upgrade also was validated by a rigorous 16-month, 1.3-million-mile study conducted by ADM Trucking. Brandon Rick, Workstream Lead, Strategic Transformation, Transportation, for 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% when compared to fossil diesel.
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; contact Fontaine directly for additional OEMs’ order codes.
Contact:
Colin Baumgartner, The Collective Genius, 614-441-5576
About Optimus Technologies, Inc.:
Optimus Technologies was founded in 2010 with the goal of decarbonizing heavy-duty fleets with patented, proven technologies that meet market requirements for performance, cost, and operational integration. More information is available at OptimusTec.com.
About Fontaine Modification:
Established in 1985, Fontaine Modification is North America’s most comprehensive, engineering-focused provider of post-production services for truck manufacturers, dealers, and fleets. Fontaine has 10 modification centers strategically located adjacent to OEM manufacturing plants in Charlotte and Statesville, North Carolina; Chillicothe and Springfield, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Garland and Laredo, Texas; Dublin and Salem, Virginia; and Mineral Wells, West Virginia. The company headquarters and new product development center are in Charlotte. Fontaine Modification is a Marmon Holdings/Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information about Fontaine Modification, call 800-366-8246 or visit fontainemodification.com.
SOURCE Fontaine Modification
