Electric vehicles have received a lot of attention lately, but speakers at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in January confirmed that the diesel engine will continue to dominate the market for a long time to come.
John Eichberger, Executive Director of the Fuels Institute, illustrated this point with a presentation heavy on federal data. He noted:
- 77% of all distillate energy is used by the over-the-road freight market.
- A 14% increase in registered diesel vehicles is expected by 2035 — including more passenger models.
- Diesel vehicle miles traveled are projected to increase 23% by 2035.
“Diesel is not dead, period,” Eichberger said.
This is the kind of market share that convenience stores and trucks stops should be trying to capture.
At the conference, OEMs like Isuzu Commercial Truck of America were on hand to voice their support for biodiesel.
And George Survant, Senior Director of Fleet Relations for NTEA — the Association for the Work Truck Industry — shared survey results that found biodiesel to be the most widely used alternative fuel among work truck fleets and the one they’re interested in the most.
“It’s become the standard against which many other alternative fuels are measured,” Survant said.
And it’s not just trucking fleets.
As mentioned above, diesel options for some of the most popular passenger vehicles will soon be available, including the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Gladiator. Other brands have already been on the market for a few years, including the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado 1500 and Mazda CX-5.
Biodiesel is a drop-in solution for all of these customers. C-stores don’t need to change their infrastructure to offer biodiesel blends, and customers don’t need to modify anything to take advantage of them either.
Another factor to keep in mind is the rising emphasis among fleets and individual drivers on reducing their carbon footprint.
With diesel engines still dominant and clear air regulations spreading (not to mention companies approving their own sustainability plans), biodiesel is an easy way to meet multiple customer demands.
If you’d like to learn more about diversifying your fuel supply to reach a wider audience, REG would be happy to help.