The National Biodiesel Board, along with auto industry partners Ford Motor Company and General Motors, will be holding a symposium at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on Wednesday, January 12th from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. in Cobo Center’s Michigan Hall.
This NBB press release says the biodiesel symposium, entitled “Biodiesel: Powerful Fuel, Promising Future,” will highlight how biodiesel is and will be used to power “vehicles in a cleaner, greener, more sustainable manner”:
“We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to feature biodiesel as America’s first Advanced Biofuel to the global automotive industry,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2) established realistic goals of supplementing the nation’s fuel supply with advanced biofuels which reduce lifecycle carbon by more than 50 percent. Biodiesel is the first advanced biofuel to reach commercial scale production in North America, and it reduces direct lifecycle carbon by more than 80 percent. Biodiesel is thus very well-positioned to help the nation meet its immediate and long-term advanced biofuel goals.”
As part of the biodiesel symposium, General Motors and Ford are presenting information on their new 2011 diesel vehicles, which are all fully approved for use with B20 biodiesel blends (20 percent biodiesel blended with 80 percent petroleum diesel). General Motors extends B20 approval to its full diesel line-up, which includes the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pick-ups, as well as the Chevy Express and GMC Savana cargo vans. Ford supports the use of B20 on its full line of 2011 Ford Super Duty diesel trucks.
Jim Michon, Truck Fleet Marketing Manager for Ford Motor Company, said, “Many of our fleet customers are very conscious of the environment, and had been asking us for a truck approved for use with B20 biodiesel. In the process of developing our all-new Ford-designed, Ford-built 2011 Super Duty truck, we thoroughly tested B20 in our new engine under the harshest of conditions. B20 proved itself to provide the same fuel economy, power and performance our customers expect of our high performance diesels – there are no trade-offs for using B20”.