Optimus Technologies, Peaslee Tech, University of Kansas announce biodiesel training partnership
Optimus Technologies announced Oct. 27 a new hands-on training initiative with Peaslee Technical Training Center designed to prepare diesel-technician students for the growing use of biodiesel in heavy-duty transportation.
Through a collaborative effort involving Optimus Technologies, Peaslee Tech, the University of Kansas Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering and the Kansas Soybean Commission, Peaslee Tech has received a grant to acquire a Volvo VNR truck equipped with the Optimus Technologies Vector System.
The vehicle will serve as a training platform, giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience with technology that enables heavy-duty diesel engines to operate on 100 percent biodiesel (B100).
Biodiesel is a renewable, domestically produced fuel made feedstocks such as soybean oil.
This project directly connects Kansas soybean production to the fuel powering today’s heavy-duty vehicles.
The partnership brings together industry, education, research and agriculture to help prepare technicians for an evolving transportation landscape.
Students will be able to work directly with the Volvo VNR and its Vector System, developing an understanding of biodiesel-fuel systems, vehicle operation, maintenance, diagnostics and the considerations associated with integrating B100 into real-world fleet operations.
“Building the workforce needed to support the next generation of heavy-duty transportation is just as important as developing the technology itself,” said Optimus Technologies CEO Colin Huwyler. “By partnering with Peaslee Tech, we can give diesel technicians hands-on experience with advanced fuel technologies like the Optimus Vector System. As our technology continues to scale across commercial fleets, partnerships like this help ensure technicians are prepared to install, service and support these systems in the field.”
For Peaslee Tech, the addition of the Volvo VNR provides students with access to advanced technology they may increasingly encounter as fleets look for practical ways to reduce emissions while continuing to operate existing diesel-powered equipment.
By incorporating biodiesel technology into its diesel-technician curriculum, Peaslee Tech can provide students with relevant, hands-on experience that complements traditional diesel-engine training.
The KU Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering will contribute technical and educational expertise to the initiative, helping connect the science and engineering behind biodiesel with its application in heavy-duty vehicles.
Professor and Department Chair Susan Williams said the collaboration demonstrates how research institutions and technical-education programs can work together with industry to help move alternative-fuel technologies from the laboratory into real-world transportation applications.
“Students in the Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering have been actively engaged in the production of biodiesel from soybean oil for almost 20 years thanks to the support of the Kansas Soybean Commission,” Williams said. “We are excited for the new partnership with Optimus Technologies and Peaslee Tech. The opportunity to showcase B100 utilization year-round in Lawrence will hopefully lead to further adoption of biodiesel across Kansas and have a positive impact on soybean farmers.”
Support from the Kansas Soybean Commission further connects the program to Kansas agriculture and the role soybean farmers play in the domestic biodiesel supply chain.
Biodiesel produced from renewable feedstocks such as soybean oil provides fleets with an option for reducing lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions while continuing to utilize diesel engines and existing transportation infrastructure.
The Volvo VNR will give Peaslee Tech students a unique opportunity to learn not only how biodiesel-powered vehicles operate, but also how technicians can support fleets adopting higher biodiesel blends and B100.
Through this collaboration, Optimus Technologies, Peaslee Tech, KU and the Kansas Soybean Commission are helping create a bridge between agriculture, engineering, technical education and the transportation industry—providing future diesel technicians with the skills and experience needed to support the next generation of lower-carbon heavy-duty fleets.
