August 25, 2022:
Beyond electrification, innovative startups like ClearFlame are transforming what is possible in sustainability and transportation, and top VCs are taking note. ClearFlame, which modifies diesel engines to run on 100% clean, renewable ethanol, has been named among the top 36 most promising sustainability startups in transportation by top VCs, according to Business Insider.
ClearFlame’s technology empowers trucking fleets, agriculture, power generation, and other industries that rely on heavy-duty diesel engines to break free from fossil fuel and slash carbon emissions faster and more cost-effectively than any other available technology. The technology is already demonstrated on the road.
Other startups on the list focus on developing different types of fuel, improving supply chains, increasing efficiencies for fleets, developing new battery chemistries, and developing new ways of sourcing materials for batteries and recycling those materials. Venture capitalists and impact investing professionals are looking to these innovations to realize turns for investors and the environment.
To refine the list, Business Insider talked to 12 VCs at firms like Khosla Ventures, AP Ventures, and Energy Impact Partners. According to Business Insider, these firms were selected because they have made investments in the sustainable transportation space. The VCs then narrowed down their list to 36 startups they said were making transportation more sustainable.
Michael Kearney, partner at The Engine, recommended ClearFlame to be named to the list. The Engine is a venture fund founded by MIT that supports promising tech innovators capital, knowledge, network connections, and specialized equipment and labs. The Engine is not an investor of ClearFlame.
"ClearFlame is decarbonizing the trucking industry by replacing high-carbon, petroleum-based fuels with decarbonized, renewable liquid fuels, such as ethanol or methanol. Compared to diesel engines, this innovation allows industry to transition to fossil-free heavy-duty powertrains faster and at lower cost," Kearney said.
Business Insider also highlighted how ClearFlame “engines offer 90% lower tailpipe nitric oxide and dioxide emissions and 99% lower engine-hour soot emissions, without any loss of engine torque or thermal efficiency.”
Read the story on Business Insider.