Q & A Biodiesel Fleets On The Streets Webinar

Chevron recently participated in the “Biodiesel Fleets on the Streets” webinar hosted by Wisconsin Clean Cities, along with our partners Optimus Technologies and the City of Madison.  

This event focused on educating fleets and how the organizations are working together to create a lower carbon future.  

Wisconsin Clean Cities is one of more than 75 Clean Cities coalitions desginated by the U.S. Department of Energy. The organizations support the nation’s energy and economic security by building partnerships to advance affordable domestic transportation fuels, energy efficient mobility systems and other fuel-saving technologies and practices.  

Optimus Technologies is a longtime partner of Chevron. Optimus Technologies’ Vector System allows fleet vehicles to run on 100% biodiesel, known as B100.  

The City of Madison has implemented the Optimus Vector System in their fleet vehicles to utilize B100 produced at Chevron Renewable Energy Group's facilities. To learn more about how the City of Madison is using lower carbon fuels, check out our case study with the City.   

Here are some highlighted questions from the webinar audience.   

Q: What changes to infrastructure are required to support biodiesel? 

A: “We’ll work with the customer to install a fuel tank, or you can use an existing underground tank. You’ll want to make sure you give it a good cleaning since there can be impurities with older tanks.” John Plant, Sr. Manager Strategic Initiatives - Chevron 

Q: How much weight does the Vector System add to the vehicle? 

A: “About 100 pounds, if you are keeping the fuel volume the same.” Lori Dunn, Chief Operations Officer - Optimus Technologies 

Q: How do you evaluate the performance of biodiesel vehicles?

A: “We found the cost over time is very similar to regular diesel in our market. We also watch the maintenance history of our vehicles and the cost, performance, and maintenance is pretty much the same. You can go from B5, B11, B20, B100, back to regular diesel all on the same truck.” Mahanth Joishy, Fleet Superintendent - City of Madison  

Q: Will drivers and maintenance staff need extra training to work with biodiesel

A: A few more filter changes, but no changes in the operation of the vehicle itself. We received training on the Optimus system for both operators and our technicians, but there wasn’t that much training needed, especially on the operating side.”- Rachel Darken, Fleet General Supervisor - City of Madison 

To learn more about how the City of Madison is using lower carbon fuels, check out our case study with the City.

Read Case Study