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Oneonta, NY Switches Diesel Fleet to B20 Biodiesel
9 October 2006
The Daily Star. The city of Oneonta, New York (in the central part of the state, population approximately 14,000) has switched most of its diesel fleet—including 14 transit buses and nearly all of the fire department’s trucks and ambulances—to B20 biodiesel.
The city used 169,000 gallons of vehicle fuel in 2005, with 138,000 of that being diesel. The rest was unleaded gasoline.
The B20 purchase was part of a joint competitive bid with the Oneonta City School District and Otsego County. The biodiesel blend, according to the city purchasing agent, is a little more expensive per gallon than conventional petroleum diesel.
A grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in 2004 covered about 75% of the initial installation of biodiesel infrastructure and fuel purchases for Sidney and Oneonta.
The city may consider hybrid-electric or electric vehicles as the “obvious next step.”
October 9, 2006 in Biodiesel, Fleets | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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Much braver than Tuscon. It gets serious cold in Oneota.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz | October 09, 2006 at 07:58 AM
It's Oneonta, not Oneota.
Posted by: Lou Grinzo | October 09, 2006 at 08:11 AM
They could modify the fuel tank, to channel some of the engine coolant heat, and keep the fuel from gelling. A second tank of conventional diesel could start the engine, with the larger B20 tank comming online after the engine is warmed up.
Posted by: allen_Z | October 09, 2006 at 08:46 AM
I don't think gelling/filter plugging will be a big issue, and yes I know how cold it gets up there. Des Moines' bus fleet has been using B20 for years with no problems. B20 seems to work quite well even in deep winters if the 80% petro portion is appropriately winterized with additives or by blending in #1 diesel (vs. the #2 diesel used in summer, or year-round in the south).
Glad to see yet another city adopting B20. It's not a miracle cure but is a very nice step in the right direction.
Posted by: zach | October 09, 2006 at 09:23 AM
Thanks, Lou. Very bad.
Posted by: Mike | October 09, 2006 at 12:49 PM
Every bit helps.
Posted by: Hydrid+E85 | October 18, 2006 at 02:25 PM