the power of problem solvers

2 min read | may 14, 2019

Chevron’s greatest asset – our people – are focused on making energy...

more affordable

more reliable

ever-cleaner

We believe life depends on energy and we’ve taken steps to improve lives through innovation since our founding.

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1876

California Star Oil Works, a Chevron predecessor, hits pay dirt in Pico Canyon and gives birth to the California oil industry. Steam-powered technology utilized by California Star Oil Works takes the place of primitive solutions like saplings and rudimentary drill bits, leading to California’s ﬁrst commercially productive well.

1901

After months of hard work, technical difficulties and budget constraints, the Texas oil boom kicks off when Captain Anthony Lucas strikes a close to 100,000-barrel-a-day gusher at Spindletop.

1917

Standard Oil develops Red Crown aviation gasoline, the ﬁrst gasoline in the U.S. speciﬁcally designed for aviation use. Red Crown powers the aircraft that Charles Lindbergh ﬂies across the Atlantic.

1938

After three years of unsuccessful drilling and mechanical problems in Saudi Arabia, Geologist Max Steineke urges his team to persevere – and it ﬁnally pays off on March 3. With the Arab Zone providing the main source of Saudi Arabia’s oil still today, Steineke’s discovery has enormous implications for the Middle Eastern oil market.

1978

Gulf Oil Corp. and Texaco Inc. work as a part of a consortium of U.S. oil companies. Researchers develop a 3D seismic data-processing method, an innovation which helps vet prospective oil ﬁelds as well as rejuvenate existing ﬁelds. In the following decades, Chevron continues to use 3D visualization technology, reducing the risk of dry wells and drilling unnecessary wells, minimizing our environmental impact.

1997

Chevron discovers Kuito Field, Angola’s ﬁrst deepwater ﬁeld. Over the next ﬁve years, Chevron makes signiﬁcant discoveries and becomes the nation’s largest petroleum producer.

A Boeing 787 powered by Chevron low-carbon biofuel ﬂies from San Francisco to Zurich. Chevron is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

2018

In cooperation with Chevron, a Boeing 787 powered by low-carbon biofuel flies from San Francisco to Zurich. Chevron is the first U.S. oil energy major to tie greenhouse gas emissions to executive compensation and commits to reducing methane emissions intensity by 20 to 25 percent from 2016 to 2023.

2019

Chevron Technology Ventures invests in ChargePoint, Carbon Engineering, and Natron Energy, innovators in electric vehicles and carbon dioxide air abatement. As the world needs more forms of energy, Chevron remains focused on improving current sources to reduce environmental impact.

As we create the future of energy, our commitment to take on challenges, operate responsibly and engage in conversations about where we’re headed will not change.

Finding the answers to the world’s most complex energy challenges won’t be easy – but you can count on us to be there.

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