Business Fleet, September/October 2018

WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 14 BUSINESS FLEET September October 2018 ALT FUELS A few years after Brian Deninger and Jolie Ginsburg took over tour company Incredible Adventures they decided they didnt want to contribute to the smog problem in Yosemite National Park So they purchased a couple of diesel Ford E 350 vans and filled up on biodiesel as much as possible though the biodiesel market in 2003 had little infrastructure and an inconsistent product Despite the growing pains as early adopters It was more important for us to be running as clean as we could than looking at the bottom line Deninger says D eepening their commitment to alternative fuels the couple took over Dogpatch Biofuels in 2010 which allowed them to fuel their tour fleet at wholesale prices as well as sell to local fleets through its retail station in San Francisco Today the tour company runs single and multiple day tours to national parks in the West using 26 Ford passenger vans running on biofuels as much as possible and recently switched to a renewable diesel blend for fueling and retail sales DOLLARS AND SENSE Buying a retail biodiesel station isnt obviously in the cards for most fleets looking to go green However for those investigating biofuels that dont have retail fueling near them I tell them to look at installing a tank in their yard Deninger says Dogpatch Biofuels came with an 8000 gallon aboveground tank onsite which serves the Incredible Adventures fleet and retail fleet customers Dogpatch does bulk and wet onsite fueling for fleets which can bring a fleets alt fuel spend closer to the cost of petroleum diesel For Dogpatchs retail customers the per gallon price of biodiesel generally fluctuates with petroleum diesel from five cents below diesel pump prices to 15 cents above locally Deninger says Dogpatch recently switched its supply agreement to Renewable Energy Group REG which produces a blend of 80 renewable diesel and 20 biodiesel Deninger and Ginsburgs companies could take advantage of RIN Renewable Identification Number credits which are generated and traded based on the production of renewable fuels Deninger decided against playing the market for profit Were too small and to manage them is too much he says SPREADING THE WORD Powered by biofuels is inscribed on the tour companys website brochures and vans which leverages the sustainability message and generates positive word of mouth with clientele Tour guides are trained to communicate the green initiative and salespeople talk it up to potential overseas tour clients Deninger surveyed a recent tour in person Of the 20 people on the vehicle about half knew prior to the trip that we use alternative fuels whenever we can he says The other half was pleasantly surprised and I think it made them feel good about their buying decision The emphasis on reducing emissions has helped the companys relationship with national parks and with bids for local municipalities which sometimes hire Incredible Adventures for public works projects and tours Deninger says the company has looked at electric vehicles but the technology has yet to provide the range needed for tour operations That will come in time but as far as the cost of an electric vehicle right now and the availability of the vehicle to do it its just not in the market yet he says Unlike other alternative fuels and power both biodiesel and renewable diesel dont require an engine upgrade BF BY CLAYTON WONG AND CHRIS BROWN Incredible Adventures balances its environmental commitment with the fleet budget while marketing its green credentials to customers worldwide Tour Company Turns Biofuels into a Business Advantage RENEWABLE DIESEL WHATS THE DEAL Renewable diesel uses similar feedstocks to biodiesel though the production process is different Renewable diesel has the same ASTM specification as diesel which allows for a 100 replacement of petroleum diesel fuel Biodiesel is commonly sold in the U S as a B20 blend 20 biodiesel 80 petroleum diesel In fact the State of California only allows sales of B20 blends or lower We switched to renewable diesel to be as green as possible Deninger says There are two sources in the U S for renewable diesel Neste Renewable Diesel which produces and ships the fuel from Singapore and REGs Ultra Clean Diesel which is produced in Louisiana Brian Deninger and Jolie Ginsburg with family fuel their tour fleet with renewable diesel from their home base in San Francisco Dogpatch Biofuels which also serves retail customers On the road for longer trips fleet drivers try to source B20 biodiesel fuel as much as possible