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Clean Energy Fuels Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 2 lowered, 1 new, 16 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose to $117.6 million: Revenue was $117.6 million for Q1 2026, against $103.8 million a year earlier. Product revenue was $102.9 million and service revenue was $14.7 million. Source
  • Net loss narrowed to $12.4 million: Net loss attributable to Clean Energy was $12.4 million, or $(0.06) per share, against $135.0 million, or $(0.60) per share, in Q1 2025. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA edged lower: Adjusted EBITDA was $16.6 million for Q1 2026, compared with $17.1 million for Q1 2025. Source
  • RNG gallons up 33.2%: RNG gallons sold were 67.4 million, up from 50.6 million. Conventional natural gas gallons were 17.3 million, against 16.1 million, for total fuel volume of 84.7 million. Source
  • Diesel prices seen as tailwind: Management said elevated oil and diesel prices, following the conflict in Iran, were among tailwinds reflected in results, particularly in revenue. Source
  • Cash and investments declined: Cash, cash equivalents (less restricted cash) and short-term investments were $126.2 million at March 31, 2026, against $156.1 million at December 31, 2025. Source

“We were very pleased with our first quarter results and feel good about our position in the geopolitical environment as it relates to offering a domestically supplied, low-cost sustainable transportation fuel that is available today.”

Clay Corbus, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
GAAP net loss attributable to Clean Energy Sourcefiscal 2026$(71) million to $(66) millionKept
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefiscal 2026$70 million to $75 millionKept
Amazon warrant charges Sourcefiscal 2026approximately $47 millionKept
Adjusted EBITDA attributable to fuel distribution Sourcefiscal 2026$67,000 - 69,900 thousandKept
Net loss attributable to fuel distribution Sourcefiscal 2026$(54,300) - (51,400) thousandRaised from $(56,800) - (53,900) thousand
Net loss attributable to RNG upstream Sourcefiscal 2026$(16,700) - (14,600) thousandLowered from $(14,200) - (12,100) thousand
Adjusted EBITDA attributable to RNG upstream Sourcefiscal 2026$3,000 - 5,100 thousandKept
Depreciation and amortization from fuel distribution Sourcefiscal 202641,000 thousandLowered from 43,500 thousand
Depreciation and amortization from RNG upstream Sourcefiscal 202622,500 thousandRaised from 20,000 thousand
Depreciation and amortization, consolidated Sourcefiscal 202649,000 thousandKept
Interest expense, consolidated Sourcefiscal 202624,500 thousandKept
Interest income, consolidated Sourcefiscal 2026(4,800) thousandKept
Income tax benefit Sourcefiscal 2026600 thousandKept
Stock-based compensation Sourcefiscal 202611,000 thousandKept
Loss from SAFE S.p.A. equity method investment Sourcefiscal 20262,000 thousandKept
Amortization of investment tax credit from consolidated RNG project Sourcefiscal 2026(900) thousandNew
Depreciation and amortization from RNG equity method investments Sourcefiscal 202614,500 thousandKept
Interest expense from RNG equity method investments Sourcefiscal 2026500 thousandKept
Interest income from RNG equity method investments Sourcefiscal 2026(300) thousandKept
Amortization of investment tax credit from RNG equity method investments Sourcefiscal 2026(2,100) thousandRaised from (3,000) thousand
Amortization of investment tax credit from RNG upstream Sourcefiscal 2026(3,000) thousandKept
Interest income from RNG upstream Sourcefiscal 2026(300) thousandKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Clay Corbus was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective in April 2026. Source
  • New: The East Valley dairy RNG project in Idaho, part of the joint venture with bp, was placed into service in Q1 2026 and is expected to produce about 3.5 million gallons annually. Source
  • New: The company announced agreements with trucking, refuse and transit fleets during Q1 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose to $117.6 million: Revenue was $117.6 million for Q1 2026, against $103.8 million a year earlier. Product revenue was $102.9 million and service revenue was $14.7 million. Source
  • Net loss narrowed to $12.4 million: Net loss attributable to Clean Energy was $12.4 million, or $(0.06) per share, against $135.0 million, or $(0.60) per share, in Q1 2025. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA edged lower: Adjusted EBITDA was $16.6 million for Q1 2026, compared with $17.1 million for Q1 2025. Source
  • Non-GAAP per-share figure fell: Non-GAAP loss per share was $(0.01) for Q1 2026, against $0.01 in Q1 2025, using the company's non-GAAP definition. Source

Segments: fuel distribution and RNG upstream

  • Fuel distribution EBITDA eased: Adjusted EBITDA attributable to fuel distribution was $19.4 million, against $20.1 million in Q1 2025. Source
  • RNG upstream loss narrowed slightly: Adjusted EBITDA of RNG upstream was a loss of $2.8 million, compared with a loss of $3.0 million in Q1 2025. Source
  • Equity-method losses shrank on ramp-up: Loss from equity method investments was $5.6 million, against $7.0 million, which the company tied to dairy RNG projects ramping up operations. Source

“It was great to see our RNG volumes continue at a steady pace and rebound from last year.”

Clay Corbus, President and Chief Executive Officer

Volumes, products and customers

  • RNG gallons up 33.2%: RNG gallons sold were 67.4 million, up from 50.6 million. Conventional natural gas gallons were 17.3 million, against 16.1 million, for total fuel volume of 84.7 million. Source
  • Environmental credit revenue increased: RIN and LCFS revenue was $14.4 million, against $9.0 million. RIN revenue rose $4.9 million on higher RIN values, higher volume and dairy RNG production. Source
  • Station construction sales rose: Station construction sales were $8.2 million, against $5.6 million. O&M services revenue was $14.2 million, against $12.8 million. Source

Costs, charges and margins

  • Amazon warrant charges fell: Amazon warrant contra-revenue charges were $10.1 million, against $17.3 million in Q1 2025. The charges are non-cash stock-based sales incentive charges. Source
  • SG&A reduced by $2.9 million: Selling, general and administrative expenses were $24.5 million, against $27.5 million, mainly from lower general business expenses. Source
  • Prior-year impairment and station charges absent: Q1 2025 included a $64.3 million goodwill impairment and $50.7 million accelerated depreciation from LNG station abandonment. Q1 2026 had neither charge. Source
  • Cost of sales increased year over year: Product cost of sales was $73.8 million, against $67.8 million. Service cost of sales was $11.1 million, against $8.2 million. Source
  • Truck financing contract gain recorded: Revenue included a $0.6 million unrealized gain on commodity swap and customer fueling contracts for the Zero Now truck financing program, against a $0.6 million unrealized loss in Q1 2025. Source

Demand and fuel prices

  • Diesel prices seen as tailwind: Management said elevated oil and diesel prices, following the conflict in Iran, were among tailwinds reflected in results, particularly in revenue. Source
  • Fleets noting lower-volatility fuel: Management said fleets are taking note of the company's less volatile fuel as diesel prices rose at the end of the quarter. Source

Cash, debt and balance sheet

  • Cash and investments declined: Cash, cash equivalents (less restricted cash) and short-term investments were $126.2 million at March 31, 2026, against $156.1 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Cash shifted into short-term investments: Short-term investments were $70.8 million at March 31, 2026, from $0.6 million. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $57.7 million, from $157.8 million. Source
  • Long-term debt little changed: Long-term portion of debt was $227.9 million at March 31, 2026, against $226.7 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Dairy RNG projects

  • South Fork and East Valley ramping: Corbus cited the East Valley project in Idaho and the South Fork project in Texas as recent projects now ramping up production. Source
  • Dairy operations drive RNG output: Management said RNG volume depends on dairy production, and that operating procedure refinements aim to raise dairy RNG output over time. Source

Leadership

  • New chief executive gave Q1 commentary: Clay Corbus gave the Q1 2026 commentary as President and CEO. The Q4 2025 release carried commentary from Andrew J. Littlefair in the same role. Source

2026 guidance

  • Headline 2026 ranges kept: The 2026 GAAP net loss range and Adjusted EBITDA range were kept from the Q4 2025 release. Source
  • Warrant charges added back to EBITDA: The 2026 Adjusted EBITDA expectation adds back estimated Amazon warrant charges and excludes other items management may later deem appropriate. Source
  • Expectations are forward-looking: The company stated its 2026 expectations are forward-looking statements, qualified by the Safe Harbor Statement. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Form 10-Q filing expected May 7: The company expects to file its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 on or about May 7, 2026. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management cited winter weather as affecting dairy RNG production, particularly in the upper Midwest. Source
  • Financial: Unrealized gains or losses on truck financing customer contracts, and variations in Amazon warrant vesting, could significantly affect the 2026 GAAP net loss estimate. Source
  • External: The 2026 expectations exclude the effects of macroeconomic conditions and global supply chain issues, along with acquisitions and other extraordinary events. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The company said the East Valley project is expected to produce about 3.5 million gallons of RNG annually. No status update was given. Source
  • Not stated: The Q4 2025 release gave South Fork a capability of about 2.6 million gallons of RNG annually. The Q1 release says the project is ramping up production.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.