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Art Van tests bio-diesel

Retailer helping to develop national bio-diesel standard

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, May 27, 2008

WARREN, Mich. – Retailer Art Van Furniture began filling two trucks from its fleet with B-20 bio-diesel on

Art Van began bio-diesel testing for a national standards group with two trucks in April. The retailer operates Michigan’s largest independent delivery fleet with about 400 trucks, service vans and tractor trailers.

April 7 as part of an effort to set national standards for the renewable fuel.

B-20 is a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel fuel.

Last year, the retailer entered into a partnership with NextEnergy, a non-profit created in 2002, located on Detroit’s Wayne State University campus.

Fueling is taking place at the NextEnergy facility in Detroit with Clean Emission Fluids providing the fuel.

Art Van is part of the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory consortium, or NBEL, which is developing the standard. NBEL is a collaboration of several industry and academic outlets, including Chrysler, Delphi, Wayne State University, the National Biofuels Energy Lab and Bosch.

The NBEL consortium aims to develop the next-generation of biodiesel performance standards.

“It is by no means a total solution to our fuel concerns, but is an option that can be pushed forward in the short term - to use with current technology - that moves us in a cleaner direction,” said Chris Morrisroe, Art Van’s communications director.

Art Van was the only fleet in the state to seek out the energy project, said Mark Beyer, director of communications and outreach for NextEnergy.

“They heard about and wanted to be part of the program,” Beyer said.

Art Van committed two delivery trucks to be used for engine and vehicle correlation testing. The retailer’s fleet will help show how the fuel reacts to real-world conditions.

Testing will include hot start, cold start, long-term cold weather storage, and durability and reliability. Michigan’s range of weather conditions will allow NextEnergy to see how biodiesel reacts to extremes that create problems for engines, according to Beyer.

He added that NBEL hopes to get the B-20 standard in place by early next year. The standard will allow automakers to warranty their engines for biodiesel, for which no national standards currently exist, Beyer said.

Art Van Furniture operates Michigan’s largest independent delivery fleet with about 400 trucks, service vans and tractor trailers. The company is Michigan’s largest furniture retailer, with 30 stores in 29 cities throughout the state.

“It makes smart business sense, if we can get fuel costs down, and it’s a more environmentally friendly fuel,” Morrisroe said.

The Art Van testing also will help establish a recommended American Society for Testing and Materials International standard. ASTM is a voluntary technical standards group.

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