Big Soy Giving Biodiesel Street Cred In Ford Country

The biodiesel sticker: a creature of a thousand faces that is becoming easier to spot on vehicles throughout the country. It comes in many forms from your basic “Powered By Biodiesel” to the more creative “Go By Grease,” and almost always it crops up on the bumpers of little european jobs like VWs, Mercedes and Volvos. But while the stereotype of the average biodiesel user has become that of a Whole Foods shoppin’/Al Gore lovin’ urbanite, biodiesel is slowly gaining traction where many a treehugger fears to tread…deep in the heart of the red states. And if you have any interest in seeing biodiesel become a mainstream alternative to petroleum fuels, you’ll want to read this article that describes a unique field study being led by the Iowa Soybean Association. The two-year study, called the “Two Million Mile Haul,” is examining the benefits of using biodiesel blends in the trucking industry. The results–as anyone familiar with biodiesel might assume-support the use of biodiesel in long haulers which represents “the largest single users of diesel fuel” in the country. Such a study–and others like it–should be considered a boost to the biodiesel industry. Though many Volkswagens and small diesel passenger vehicles will pepper the freeways in the next few years, a challenge for biodiesel proponents is to get light-duty truck owners to get off dino-diesel. One could argue this crowd differs a bit in values from those on the bleeding edge of the biodiesel movement and, as a result, have been skeptical to recognize biodiesel as a legitimate fuel option. But with Big Ag stumping for biodiesel from the heartland, you can bet the John Cougar faithful will be more likely to pump it into their Duramax’s, Cummins’ and Powerstrokes. And as light duty diesel trucks outnumber passenger diesels in the U.S. by roughly 10 to 1, it would be nice to see them join the party.

"When the engines are torn down at the completion of the study, the final results are expected to show less engine wear with biodiesel. The study should prove that biodiesel provides longer engine life," he notes. For information on the first-year results of the 2 Million Mile Haul study, visit www.twomillionmilehaul.com. Scroll down to "First Year Summary" for the full report.