What FuelActive does

FuelActive is a privately held UK limited company headquartered in Cardiff, Wales, that designs, manufactures, and distributes a patented in-tank floating fuel pickup system for diesel-powered equipment. The company's core product replaces conventional bottom-of-tank pickup pipes with a dynamic floating mechanism that draws fuel via a vent from the upper, cleaner layer of the tank, delivering 92% cleaner fuel to the engine, extending fuel filter life by 3-4x, and improving fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions by 3-5% each, according to independent SGS testing and multiple telematics-validated customer trials. The technology is protected by six granted patents across the UK and US, has accumulated over 12 million hours of contamination-free operation with one customer (Genquip Groundhog), and is sold with a 5-year factory warranty on a fit-and-forget basis.

FuelActive serves enterprise fleet operators across five primary verticals — mining, rail, construction, transportation, and energy/power generation — with additional adoption in pumps and compressors. Customers include Mafube Coal, Colas Rail, Northern Rail, L Lynch Plant Hire, Jones Bros, KW Bell, Macmahon, and Anthony's Travel, alongside OEM factory-fit integrations with Komatsu, JCB, DAF, Atlas Copco, Genquip Groundhog, Hydrainer, AJC EasyCabin, and PPK Mining Equipment. The company operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise sales, an exclusive global distributor network (Unipart Rail for global rail, Neemba for 11 West African countries, VIXORA/Ferreycorp for South America), and OEM-embedded supply, supported from its Cardiff Technology Centre. A complementary product, the Wâhanu Fuel Separator, addresses contaminant removal in bulk storage tanks.

The business model is hardware sales plus OEM-embedded supply, with quote-based pricing, multi-year enterprise contracts, and a 5-year standard warranty. The company was founded as FuelActive Ltd in 2010 (with the underlying prototype developed in 1998), has 11-50 employees, and has raised approximately $2.2M in disclosed funding from Adjuvo, the Development Bank of Wales, and Innovate UK. It has received multiple industry awards including a Gold Stevie Award (2021), the Insider Made in Wales Manufacturing Innovation Award (2024), and the Colas Rail Award for Carbon Reduction (2025), and has been listed on the UK Fast Growth Index in 2024 and 2025.

Name

FuelActive

Legal name

FuelActive Limited

Website

https://fuelactive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FuelActive is a UK-based hardware company that designs and distributes a patented in-tank floating fuel pickup system, delivering 92% cleaner fuel and 3-5% fuel efficiency gains to enterprise fleet operators in mining, rail, construction, transport, and power generation across six continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fuel Filtration Hardware

akta.pro primary industry

Passenger Vehicle Fuel System Manufacturing (ICE) (IMACAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fuel Systems Service (Diesel/Gas/CNG/LNG, Injectors, Tanks) (TLAKABAH)

Keywords

• Fuel contamination control
• Floating fuel pickup
• Diesel engine protection
• Fleet fuel efficiency
• Heavy equipment emissions reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Wales

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. FuelActive Unit Sales: FuelActive generates revenue primarily through the sale of its patented floating fuel pickup units. Products are sold directly to end-user fleet operators, through distributors, and as OEM-fit options. The company offers an extensive product portfolio matched to popular equipment brands with 'off the shelf' installation capability.
2. OEM / White-label Integration: FuelActive units are integrated as standard factory-fit options by OEMs including Komatsu, Genquip Groundhog, Hydrainer, Atlas Copco Specialist Rental, AJC EasyCabin, and PPK Mining Equipment on new equipment builds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FuelActive designs, manufactures and sells a patented in-tank floating fuel pick-up system that replaces conventional bottom-of-tank pickup pipes to deliver 92% cleaner fuel to diesel engines. The unit is sold as a fit-and-forget hardware retrofit or OEM factory-fit option for heavy equipment fleets across mining, rail, construction, transportation, energy and pumps/compressor sectors, targeting 3-5% fuel and CO2 savings, up to 4x longer filter life, and elimination of fuel-related breakdowns.

Product overview

FuelActive is a hardware-focused company offering a single core product line centered around its patented floating fuel pickup technology. The flagship FuelActive Floating Fuel Pick-Up System replaces conventional bottom-of-tank pickup pipes with a dynamic floating mechanism that draws cleaner fuel from the top of the fuel level. The product portfolio includes variations tailored for specific sectors: High Horse Power units for mining equipment (e.g., Komatsu 930E trucks), Rail Fleet Solutions with bespoke designs for trains and maintenance vehicles, and Construction Equipment variants for ADTs and excavators. An additional product, the Wâhanu Fuel Separator, addresses contaminant separation in large storage tanks. All products share the same core patented floating pickup technology and are sold as fit-and-forget solutions with a 5-year warranty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FuelActive Floating Fuel Pick-Up System

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-5% reduction in fuel consumption across all sectors
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Neemba GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 March 2024Neemba, the Caterpillar dealer for 11 West African countries, signed an exclusive five-year distribution agreement with FuelActive following a 6-month trial on CAT 777 trucks validated by 100,000+ data points. Neemba will supply up to 20 different FuelActive products for CAT motorgraders, rigid haul trucks, excavators, shovels, dozers, and power generation equipment, with stock held across the regional parts supply chain.
• Unipart RailcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 May 2023FuelActive and Unipart Rail formed an exclusive partnership in May 2023 for Unipart Rail to serve as the exclusive distributor of FuelActive solutions to the global rail sector. Unipart Rail is supporting the rollout across the Colas Rail fleet and EMD Class 66 locomotives, combining FuelActive's technology with Unipart's rail sector expertise and distribution infrastructure.
• SGS (Testing, Inspection and Certification)minorOthersIndependent testing by SGS Peru validated FuelActive performance, confirming up to 85% fewer contaminant particles and 36% less water in fuel vs standard pickup under controlled closed-loop test conditions. The testing was sanctioned by distribution partner VIXORA (Ferreycorp S.A.A) to independently validate findings.
• Network RailminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork Rail provided financial and operational support enabling trials of FuelActive in the Colas Rail UK machinery fleet, facilitating the evaluation and validation of the technology on UK rail infrastructure.
• Colas RailcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerColas Rail UK conducted extensive trials of FuelActive across grinders, tampers, millers, and freight locomotives (Class 37 and Class 66), achieving 4-7% fuel savings and winning the Colas Rail Sustainability Award. Following the trial success, Colas Rail UK rolled out FuelActive fleet-wide and discussions are underway with Colas France and Eastern Europe for further adoption.
• VIXORA (Ferreycorp S.A.A)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVIXORA, a Ferreycorp company, acted as the distribution partner that sanctioned independent SGS testing of FuelActive in Peru, validating the technology's performance claims through rigorous third-party testing.
• Clive Wheeldon and Nigel PophamminorOthersBoard advisors bringing industry knowledge and financial insight to support FuelActive's strategic growth, particularly in North American and international markets.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cummins: Cummins is a global engine and fuel-systems manufacturer whose filtration division (including Fleetguard) directly competes in diesel fuel quality. Already a public endorser of FuelActive technology; nonetheless a strategic incumbent that could build an in-house alternative.
• Caterpillar: Caterpillar is both a customer (Komatsu and CAT 777 trials) and a potential competitive threat. As the dominant mining and heavy-construction OEM, it controls the specification for factory-fit fuel system components — making it a critical incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• Bosch Mobility Solutions: Bosch supplies diesel fuel injection systems, sensors, and filtration components to virtually every major OEM. It is a broad incumbent whose fuel-system portfolio overlaps with FuelActive's contamination-and-combustion value proposition, though it is not focused on in-tank pickup architecture.

Direct peers

• Stanadyne: Stanadyne designs and manufactures diesel fuel injection and filtration systems, including fuel lift pumps and water-separating filter bases, for heavy-duty engines. Overlaps directly with FuelActive on diesel fuel quality management for commercial and off-road applications.
• Donaldson Company: Donaldson manufactures fuel filtration and contamination-control systems for heavy-duty diesel engines in mining, construction, agriculture and rail. Directly comparable as a competing solution for the same fuel-cleanliness problem FuelActive addresses.
• Champion Laboratories: Champion Laboratories manufactures fuel, oil and air filters under brands like Champ and Luber-finer, serving heavy-duty and off-road markets. A direct aftermarket and OEM peer addressing the same diesel contamination and filter-life problems FuelActive targets.
• Parker Hannifin (Racor): Parker Hannifin's Racor division is the benchmark brand in diesel fuel filtration and water separation for heavy equipment, marine, and rail. Racor's filter/water-separator products compete head-to-head with FuelActive's floating pickup for the same contamination-driven failure modes.
• Wix Filters: Wix Filters (a Mann+Hummel brand) manufactures heavy-duty fuel filters and water-separating filter assemblies for diesel trucks, construction and agricultural equipment. A direct peer competing on fuel cleanliness in the same heavy-duty end markets.
• MANN+HUMMEL: MANN+HUMMEL is a leading global manufacturer of fuel, oil and air filtration products serving automotive and industrial OEMs. A direct competitor in fuel filtration for diesel engines, with much broader scale and OEM contracts across heavy-duty and passenger segments.
• Hengst (Hengstler): Hengst is a European filtration specialist supplying fuel, oil and air filters to automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable as an aftermarket and OEM supplier of fuel-cleanliness solutions for diesel engines in commercial vehicles and machinery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FuelActive