3 Chicagoland Fleets Using B20 Rank among 2019’s Top Green Fleets

(Illinois Soybean Association/Biodiesel Magazine) Three Chicago-area fleets rank among the nation’s 25 Top Green Fleets of 2019. Fleets receiving this national recognition are Village of Arlington Heights, Village of Oak Park and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

The green fleet ranking by Heavy Duty Trucking magazine is based on long-term commitments to sustainability and green initiatives. Fleets on the list use alternative fuels, such as B20 biodiesel, and other technologies to improve fuel economy and freight efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Village of Arlington Heights, one of the state’s largest municipalities, operates diesel vehicles and off-road equipment with B20 biodiesel to reduce tailpipe emissions year-round. The village maintains a fleet- and community-wide anti-idling policy and reduces use of paper through digital maintenance logs and ordering procedures.

Village of Oak Park operates 90 vehicles using alternative fuels and technologies, including B20 biodiesel, compressed natural gas, battery-electric, diesel-electric hybrid and gas-electric hybrid. The fleet’s maintenance shop features LED lighting and paperless systems help reduce waste. In addition, the public works facility where the fleet operates meets LEED Gold standards.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, based in Wheaton, Illinois, has been operating on alternative fuels since 2001 when it committed to reducing fleet tailpipe and lifecycle emissions. More than 170 vehicles operate on B20 biodiesel, E85 ethanol, propane and electricity, and the district’s new fleet maintenance facility is built to LEED standards.

All three fleets are members of the B20 Club, a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program and the American Lung Association that recognizes Illinois fleets committed to cleaner air through use of biodiesel blends of B20 and higher. READ MORE

The Village of Oak Park is located eight miles from the Chicago Loop. The village is taking many steps to lower the carbon footprint and emissions of its vehicle fleet.

Oak Park recently installed five electric vehicle charging stations at its village hall on Madison Street. There are three stations with six ports for charging municipal vehicles and two charging stations with four ports for charging by EV owners. Along with the installation, the municipality deployed five new all-electric 2019 Nissan LEAFs.

Oak Park, with more than 50,000 residents, is a member of CACC and the B20 Club and is a long-time user of low-emissions biodiesel fuel for the village’s diesel fleet vehicles. B20 generates fewer tailpipe emissions and reduces lifecycle carbon emissions.

The village also expanded its use of telematics to coach and educate fleet drivers on proper usage of equipment by decreasing idling, reduce speeding and excessive acceleration, decreasing use of fossil fuels. It also added a hybrid-electric bucket truck, which allows use of the bucket with a battery instead of the vehicle’s engine.

Oak Park’s green fleet is one of many sustainability efforts underway in the village.

“Oak Park has always been at the forefront as a green community,” said Ken Crowley, superintendent of fleet services for the Village of Oak Park. “We place a high priority on environmental stewardship. We do everything we can to keep the air we breathe as clean as we can, and our use of biodiesel and electric vehicles are very important initiatives.”

The Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza was one of the first, family-owned and operated, independent truck plazas in the U.S. to start selling B11 biodiesel in 2006.

After experiencing firsthand the economical, physical, and environmental benefits that biodiesel was having for truck drivers, their trucks, and the environment, Robin Puthusseril, vice president and co-owner of the Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza, along with her father John Puthusseril, decided to take things to a higher level. In 2013, they invested more than half a million dollars to build the infrastructure at their truck plaza to begin blending and selling higher blends of premium biodiesel to all their customers.

Today, B11-B20 premium biodiesel is blended and sold year-round to all their customers at every diesel dispenser. The Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza also offers fleet customers bulk B100 biodiesel for purchase, if needed.

In 2018, Robin testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment regarding advanced biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard. She explained why biodiesel is good for the country because it helps displace petroleum-based fuels and lowers the cost of fuel for all Americans. She also encouraged Congress to continue to incentivize retailers like herself so she and others can continue the work and impact that has only started.

“Robin is a true advocate for the performance and environmental benefits of biodiesel fuel,” said John Walton. “She’s making a huge impact in getting Class 8 truckers to reduce their emissions.”

The Village of Downers Grove, a municipality of nearly 50,000 people located in the western suburbs of Chicago, runs 83 percent of the village's fleet on some form of alternative fuel. These alternatives included biodiesel (B20), E-85 (ethanol), compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, solar power, and hybrid combinations. In 2019, the village began using its first plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. The vehicles, used by the Police Department's Community Support Officers, are averaging over 75 miles-per-gallon, replacing Ford Crown Victoria models that only averaged 14 miles-per-gallon.

The implementation of green initiatives like the use of cleaner, more efficient alternative fuels achieves the village’s strategic plan goal of being “a steward of financial and environmental sustainability.” Using alternative fuels reduces the environmental impact of fleet operations and is more cost-effective than traditional petroleum-based products. READ MORE