The Start-up Sucking Carbon Straight From Trucks And Trains

And putting it in your drinks

We went to Detroit a couple of months ago and found something quite odd.

The start-up Remora (great name) has built a contraption that affixes to diesel trucks and trains. The machine hoovers up the carbon dioxide spewed out by the vehicles, cleans it and then stores it so that it can be sold to beverage makers like Coca-Cola and Pepsi and other companies in need of high-quality CO₂.

Paul Gross, the CEO of Remora, went to Yale, which I only bring up because Yale has done a miserable job at producing tech start-ups over the years. So, good for Yale here.

While working on this piece, we also learned that Coke and Pepsi buy tons of mined CO₂, which boggled my mind.

Gross’s big thesis with Remora is that we’re not close to putting electric batteries into big trucks and trains and that his company’s technology provides a meaningful climate change-friendly stopgap.

Remora has immense challenges ahead of it, and this machine, while cool and useful, comes with a lot of added complexity that I’m not sure truck and train suppliers will go for. That said, I was impressed with what Remora has already built and, well, the vehicle makers will indeed pick this technology up if there’s enough money to be made in the carbon trade.

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