Awake at the Wheel

B99 trial meets with sweet success

Fleet Owner magazine has named Seattle-based Essential Baking Co. Green Fleet of the Month:

“In its quest to be the greenest company possible, Seattle, WA-based Essential Baking Co. didn’t let one roadblock stop it from trying again. The company, which produces bread, pastries and desserts, operates a pair of cafes and sells its baked goods wholesale to restaurants and institutions, wanted its fleet of vehicles as environmentally friendly as possible.

So the company tried test running B99 biodiesel, which went over as well as over-cooked bread. A switch of biodiesel providers, however, made all the difference. A second test in the spring of 2008 produced positive results. While the company isn’t currently running B99, opting instead for the more cost-efficient B20 blend, director of sales and marketing Anna Li says Essential (www.essentialbaking.com) would not hesitate to run B99 again.

“I have to give International Leasing a lot of credit,” she says of their leasing company. “They weren’t too happy with the fact that the first test didn’t go too well. And I have to give them credit for the fact that they let us do it again.”

“Responsible for the maintenance on the vehicles, Seattle-based International (www.internationaleasingco.com) was a little hesitant to approve a second test of B99. “We met with the folks from Propel. They showed us the product; they showed us the test results and samples in a very professional way,” says Todd Daniels, fleet manager for International.

The first test produced numerous operational issues on the fleet’s Sprinter test vehicles. The second test, using biodiesel supplied by Propel, produced a completely different result. “The vehicles ran fine, the drivers liked the vehicles, and we had no cold-weather issues,” says Jeff Stephens, director of science and technology for Propel (www.propelfuels.com). “We were confident the quality [of the B99] was where it should be.”

Read more from Fleet Owner magazine.