Partnerships
Optimus Technologies, John Deere and Penske Launch Five B100 Freightliner Trucks in Midwest
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- Five 2027 Freightliner Cascadia trucks equipped with the Optimus Vector System will run on 100% biodiesel for John Deere parts routes in the Midwest.
- The trucks are expected to travel more than 700,000 miles annually and use over 85,000 gallons of B100 supplied by Chevron from its Seneca, Illinois facility.
- Optimus CEO Colin Huwyler said more than 1,300 trucks with the company's technology have traveled over 250 million miles in commercial service.
Optimus Technologies, John Deere and Penske Truck Leasing launched the Field to Freight program, deploying five 2027 Freightliner Cascadia trucks equipped to run on 100% biodiesel (B100) on John Deere parts routes across the Midwest. EIN Presswire announced the initiative on November 12, 2026.
How the Field to Freight Program Works
The five trucks are expected to travel more than 700,000 miles annually and to use over 85,000 gallons of B100 made from renewable oil from the equivalent of 60,000 bushels of soybeans. Chevron supplies the fuel from its biodiesel production facility in Seneca, Illinois, where it is produced from agricultural products including soybean oil and distillers corn oil. The project is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared with petroleum diesel.
Each truck carries Optimus' patented Vector System, which lets conventional heavy-duty diesel engines operate primarily on B100 while retaining the ability to use petroleum diesel when needed. Penske provides full-service leasing, maintenance and over-the-road support for the vehicles, and CPC Logistics manages John Deere's fleet operations and drivers. The partners will evaluate vehicle reliability, maintenance, fueling, driver experience and operating economics through regular commercial service.
"For more than 15 years, Optimus has focused on making B100 a practical option for heavy-duty fleets," said Colin Huwyler, CEO of Optimus Technologies. "Today, more than 1,300 trucks equipped with our technology have traveled over 250 million miles in commercial service." Nate Green, Director of Biofuels at John Deere, said the deployment lets the company put renewable fuels to work in its own operations while evaluating their performance in everyday transportation. John Deere's logistics network currently consumes nearly 4 million gallons of diesel annually.
Optimus Technologies' Earlier Partnerships
According to akta.pro company records, Optimus entered the European market in April 2026 through a commercial partnership with Sunoil Biodiesel to accelerate B100 adoption among heavy-duty fleets in the Netherlands, with Sunoil deploying Vector Systems in its own private fleet. In December 2025 the company executed a strategic MOU with Mitsui & Co. appointing it exclusive distributor of the Vector System across Japan, India and ASEAN countries. The same records show Optimus closed a $17.8 million Series A round in April 2023 led by Mitsui & Co., with participation from Chevron Renewable Energy Group and regional investors.
Other Fleet Deployments This Month
GreenLine Mobility Solutions partnered with Kirloskar Ferrous Industries to deploy electric trucks for inter-plant logistics, with a flag-off ceremony at Kirloskar's Taloja plant on November 12, BusinessLine reported. Scage Future's subsidiary signed a non-binding strategic cooperation agreement with China Huaye Group on September 22, 2026, covering plans to deploy up to 1,000 electric heavy-duty trucks for mining transportation, PR Newswire reported on November 4.