BioFuels Journal

Fort Worth, TX — The dynamic U.S. biodiesel industry is convening this week for its 12th annual National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Fort Worth, TX, Jan. 19-22, 2015 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

At the same time, a bumper crop of new 2015 clean diesel vehicles are beginning to arrive in dealership showrooms nationwide, offering U.S. consumers more options than ever before in their quest to drive cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles capable of running on domestic, renewable biodiesel blends.

National Biodiesel Conference attendees will be putting some of the latest diesel vehicle models to the test on Wednesday January 21st during the 2015 Biodiesel Ride-and-Drive Event outside the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The event will feature a sampling of some of the many new biodiesel-capable models available in 2015, including the popular Chevy Cruze diesel sedan, a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, a 2015 Ford F250 SuperDuty pickup, a 2015 Ford Transit van, and the 2015 Hino 195h DC - a medium duty double cab diesel electric hybrid truck.

With 47 new clean diesel car, truck and SUV models available now or launching soon in the 2015 model year, automotive industry experts predict that consumers will have more than 62 diesel vehicle models to choose from in North America by 2017.

Add to that the more than 27 other automotive brands supplying numerous diesel engines and over 115 different diesel models for the Medium- and Heavy-Duty truck, bus and RV markets, and it’s no wonder that diesel vehicle market share forecasts for the U.S. are on the rise.

Numerous industry experts predict that diesel vehicles will make up to 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. market by the year 2025, up from just over 3 percent in 2014.

Because diesels deliver up to 40 percent better real-world fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts, more and more automakers are turning to diesel vehicle platforms to help them meet the aggressive new U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards, which mandate a fleet average of 54.5 MPG by 2025.

The dramatic growth in availability of new technology diesel engines and vehicles for the U.S. market is welcome news for consumers and fleets that want the tremendous power, performance and fuel economy of a diesel engine, while minimizing their impact on the environments they operate in.

This is because any diesel vehicle can also operate on clean, renewable biodiesel blends – America’s Advanced Biofuel.

Currently, all major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) selling diesel vehicles and equipment in the U.S. support the use of at least B5 (5 percent biodiesel blended with 95 percent petroleum diesel) under warranty.

And nearly 80 percent of manufacturers support the use of B20 or higher biodiesel blends in at least some of their equipment, including over 90 percent of the medium- and heavy-duty truck markets.

Greg Greving, a United Soybean Board director from Nebraska and member of the National Biodiesel Board, relies on biodiesel blends to power the vast majority of his farming equipment and vehicles.

He stated, “I have used B5 to B20 biodiesel blends in all of my diesel equipment for many years with great success.

"It powers everything from my 1980 Oldsmobile 98 on display here at the conference, to my GMC Duramax Diesel pickups, to my Class 8 Peterbilt trucks as well as all of my John Deere tractors and combines.

"I figure if I can grow the fuel, I’m going to use the fuel.”

Biodiesel – made from a variety of resources including recycled cooking oil, plant oils such as soybean oil, and animal fats – is the first EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide.

According to the EPA, biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent to 86 percent compared with petroleum diesel.

With production plants in nearly every state in the country, the industry supports some 60,000 jobs.

For more information, please contact Kaleb Little at 573-645-3260.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• National Biodiesel Conference and Expo

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