Hino Trucks added to growing list of OEMs supporting B20 biodiesel blends
August 16, 2011
BY NBB
The biodiesel industry earned another strong statement of OEM support in July as Hino Trucks, a Toyota Group Company, announced its full approval for use of 20 percent biodiesel blends in its complete product line of class 4 and 5 cab-over, and class 6 and 7 conventional trucks. Hino Trucks is the world’s third largest manufacturer of light- and medium-duty trucks, and now the fastest growing truck manufacturer in the U.S. Hino’s B20 statement comes on the heels of competitor Isuzu Commercial Trucks’ B20 support announcement in June. Together these companies command more than 85 percent of the medium-duty truck market share in the U.S.
Looking at the big picture, all of the major diesel vehicle and equipment manufacturers in the U.S. approve the use of at least B5 in their equipment, and now more than 60 percent of them also approve the use of B20 or higher blends. The move toward B20 is a trend that is expected to continue, due in large part to the biodiesel training efforts of the National Biodiesel Board’s OEM Outreach & Education Program, as well as continuous improvement in biodiesel fuel quality and growing availability of the fuel under EPA’s RFS2 requirements.
All Hino 2011 and 2012 model year cab-over and conventional trucks powered exclusively with Hino’s proprietary J-Series engines are approved to use biodiesel B20 blends that contain biofuel blend stock (B100) compliant to ASTM D6751, and blended fuel compliant to ASTM D975. B20 biodiesel meeting these standards is also approved for use in Hino’s newly announced diesel-electric hybrid cab over due to enter the market in late fall.
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Hino trucks built prior to the 2011 model year are approved to use B5 biodiesel. All biodiesel fuels used in Hino trucks must be purchased from a fuel handler licensed under BQ9000.
Look for more B20 support announcements expected from other key players in the U.S. diesel vehicle market in the months to come. For more information, visit www.biodiesel.org.
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