Carmel Street Department recognized for reducing emissions by implementing B20 pilot program

The Carmel Street Department was recently recognized for lowering carbon emissions by adding B20-fueled trucks to its fleet. The department received the “Clean Air Champion for Biodiesel” award from Greater Indiana Clean Cities.

The award was presented Dec. 6 at the 2023 Indiana Environmental Conference and Winter Technical Meeting in Indianapolis.  

The Carmel Street Department acquired six 2023 Ford F250 trucks with diesel engines to begin its B20 pilot program this past summer. A partnership was established with Al Warren Oil Company to provide the B20 blend. 

Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources, like soybeans. It can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum at any percentage. B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, has demonstrated environmental benefits with a minimum increase in cost for fleet operations and consumers.

Carmel Street Department Fleet Manager Jason Armes discussed the road to adding B20-fueled vehicles to the fleet.

“We have attended several training courses and conferences on the benefits of B20 over the past two years. After much consideration, we started a pilot program at the street department, became members of the B20 Club of Indiana, and got the ball rolling,” he said.

The B20 Club of Indiana, a partnership between the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the American Lung Association, recognizes and supports Indiana-based fleets running on B20 blends or higher.

Chris Weldon, market development project manager with Indiana Soybean Alliance, congratulated Armes and his team.

“When work and home life combine,” he said. “As a City of Carmel resident, I couldn’t be more proud of working beside our street department as they are awarded for their B20 Club membership and their efforts at reducing carbon emissions by Greater Indiana Clean Cities.”

The Carmel Street Department also partnered with GPS provider, Geotab, to produce the formula to track the emissions output of the trucks and compare them with regular diesel and 87 octane gasoline. It will eventually be able to provide the data to show the benefits of using biodiesel.