The City of Madison has started fueling its diesel vehicles with B20, a 20% biodiesel blend. It is the first government fleet in the State of Wisconsin to use B-20 for all diesel vehicles.

Biodiesel is a biodegradable, renewable fuel that can be dispensed in virtually any vehicle of equipment that runs on petroleum diesel. Since biodiesel is produced domestically, using the alternative fuel further reduces the City of Madison’s carbon footprint.

Fleet began slowly introducing biodiesel for the past year. This summer marked the first time all ten city fueling sites dispensed B-20. Of the city’s 500+ pieces of equipment fueled by diesel, only seven units have proven to be incompatible with biodiesel: asphalt heaters used to patch potholes.

“Madison’s transition to biodiesel has gone largely unnoticed – and in the fleet world that’s a good thing. The equipment is working while we take this positive step for the environment,” wrote Rachel Darken, administrative assistant for the City of Madison Fleet Service, in a blog post.

To mitigate any potential issues in winter conditions, the city will adopt smaller blends of biodiesel such as B-5 when the temperature approaches 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Fleet Services has also told fleet users to expect more frequent fuel filter changes when first using biodiesel.