If you are responsible for 2 trucks or 200 then unless then you have been sleeping under a rock you have got to be thinking, “What’s up with all these fuels I keep hearing about other than just good ole regular diesel?”. This is a great question and if you are like me you want to know more about the options that are out there. With fuel being the number one cost of operating any fleet of trucks, it is always good to see what else is out there.
So over the next 3 posts I will give you a status report on the major alternative fuels available today and their current place in the fleet industry so you can be more informed and make a better decision for yourself and your fleet. After all the experts say that 14% of all trucks bought by 2035 will be alternative fuel.
BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a cleaner burning alternative to petroleum diesel that produces lower emissions, but with similar physical properties. Since it is estimated to reduce emissions by 50% compared to diesel and it doesn’t require new vehicles, equipment, or fueling systems it is a low cost option to be “Green”. It’s strongest use is in medium and heavy duty agriculture, utility, and government fleets, but is growing in the light duty segment with 58 new light duty models available by 2017.
Biodiesel blends up to 20% Bio can be dropped into and used in 90% of current diesel engines according to manufacturer recommendations. Biodiesel and its related blends are currently available at over 2,000 stations in the US and in 2013 reached the height of production with 1.8 Billion gallons and expectations show it to replace 10% of petroleum diesel market by 2022.
