I filled up this morning at one of my regular Shell stations and saw a new sticker on the pumps that said "may contain up to 20% biodiesel". I was very pleasantly suprised. Now I don't have to drive to the other side of town for a biodiesel fix. Anyone else seeing this at the big name gas stations?

John

Check out my posts in the sticky thread at the top of this page.......this is happening all over Austin.

Enjoy!

SoCal would NEVER do it. :mad:

That's really great news.

The Shell station I used today is at 9920 Highway 290 West. This is just a few miles west of the "Y" in Oak Hill for you Austinites. If they have it I wouldn't be suprised if other Shell stations do as well.

John

Check out my posts in the sticky thread at the top of this page.......this is happening all over Austin.

Enjoy!

SoCal would NEVER do it. :mad:
Either will PA, to many refineries in the state, cut into profits:rolleyes:

Closest Shell to me is in Franklin, OH just south of Dayton. I filled up there Saturday and the sticker on the pump said 10% biodiesel. According to the biodiesel.org website they are only selling 2%. I don't know if they upped their percentage and didn't report it.:confused: Either way, the truck seems to be liking it so far.

If that were a reason then we shouldn't be getting it here in Texas. LOTS of refineries here as well. We'll need to wait and see if the stations in Houston and Corpus start getting it.

Either will PA, to many refineries in the state, cut into profits:rolleyes:

Did you happen to notice the price on the bio. as compared to #2 ??

Thanks

The big oil co's are buying into the renewable energy pretty big right now. BP is teamed up with Monsanto co. to produce some sort of ethyl-butyl product that is similar to ethanol. stay tuned.......... they're gonna keep making millions if it breaks us poor peeps in the process.

Same price that I paid for the #2 last week at this same station.

Did you happen to notice the price on the bio. as compared to #2 ??

Thanks

maybe this question has been beat to death...but why is it #2 is often times.at least here in NY more expensive than 87.....isn't #2 easier to make since it is a les refined fuel...or is it just good le supply and demand....

Are you sure you are actually getting biodiesel? A sign that says MAY contain up to 20% biodesel really means it can contain from 0 to 20%. So how can you tell if you are really getting B20? Your engine will run noticably quieter and smoother and your fuel mileage may drop 2 to 3%.

I can't help but wonder why Shell would do such a thing. There would seem to be no advantage for Shell to sell fuel that might or might not be biodiesel. People who are scared of using BD would never use these pumps and people like me who insist on BD wouldn't either. Why would Shell be selling a variable, unknown mix of biodiesel instead of just selling B10 or B20? I can think of two reasons: 1) they are looking forward to what might be another bad hurricane season and in order to supply their stations they may have to stretch out their petro-diesel stocks by adding BD, or 2) they have to blend in BD to get their sulphur content within legal limits.

If their new ULSD process isn't working quite up to snuff and is producing ULSD with, say, 18 ppm suphur content, they can lower it to the required 15 ppm by adding 20% biodiesel (BD has no sulpher). If the diesel in these pumps isn't the new ULSD yet then maybe they are usng high sulphur oil to make it (way cheaper than sweet crude) and then have to blend in BD to get its sulphur content below 500 ppm.

I'm not saying these are necessarily bad things, but you have to wonder what Shell is up to.

I noticed that magic word "may" as well. Honestly, I don't think what I filled yesterday had bio in it based on the sound from my engine. The stickers were brand new and it's likely they could be still have a full tank of #2. For the past few years Austin has been on the border of being added to the list of cities with unhealthy air quality. They've been trying all sorts of measures to keep that from happening. There may be some sort of incentives for these stations to offer bio.

Another reason for saying "may contain" is not only availabilty of #2 in case of a hurricane but the availability of bio. They might not always have enough bio to make B20 at all their stations.

I'll report back in when I fill up at this station again.

John

Are you sure you are actually getting biodiesel? A sign that says MAY contain up to 20% biodesel really means it can contain from 0 to 20%. So how can you tell if you are really getting B20? Your engine will run noticably quieter and smoother and your fuel mileage may drop 2 to 3%.

I can't help but wonder why Shell would do such a thing. There would seem to be no advantage for Shell to sell fuel that might or might not be biodiesel. People who are scared of using BD would never use these pumps and people like me who insist on BD wouldn't either. Why would Shell be selling a variable, unknown mix of biodiesel instead of just selling B10 or B20? I can think of two reasons: 1) they are looking forward to what might be another bad hurricane season and in order to supply their stations they may have to stretch out their petro-diesel stocks by adding BD, or 2) they have to blend in BD to get their sulphur content within legal limits.

If their new ULSD process isn't working quite up to snuff and is producing ULSD with, say, 18 ppm suphur content, they can lower it to the required 15 ppm by adding 20% biodiesel (BD has no sulpher). If the diesel in these pumps isn't the new ULSD yet then maybe they are usng high sulphur oil to make it (way cheaper than sweet crude) and then have to blend in BD to get its sulphur content below 500 ppm.

I'm not saying these are necessarily bad things, but you have to wonder what Shell is up to.

I just searched through the Shell website for any references on biodiesel. There's really no mention of biodiesel itself with the exception of the following indirect reference.

"Some alternative fuels require vehicle modifications or the installation of a new fuel infrastructure, which is limiting their initial usage to dedicated bus and truck fleets. In the medium term gasoline and diesel will increasingly contain blend components that are derived from sources other than oil to ensure cleaner air. Longer term, a new infrastructure for the distribution and sale of hydrogen will be built."

Sometimes the individual fuel station of whatever brand buys biodiesel or a blend from a fuel terminal that has it in the area. Just because the sign says Shell or Exxon Mobil doesn't mean the fuel always comes from that company.

I live in North Texas. There are 2 Phillip 66 stations that sell B-20 in Lawton and Frederick, OK. The sticker says B-20, not "may have up to B-20. I paid $2.79 last week.

The local AFB just starting using B-20 and E85 in the goverment vehicles a few weeks ago. I hope they make it availabe to military personel and retires also.

For the past few years Austin has been on the border of being added to the list of cities with unhealthy air quality. They've been trying all sorts of measures to keep that from happening. Shell: In the medium term gasoline and diesel will increasingly contain blend components that are derived from sources other than oil to ensure cleaner air. Longer term, a new infrastructure for the distribution and sale of hydrogen will be built."

Improving Austin's air quality sound reasonable...biodiesel blends as low as B5 greatly lower several diesel emissions and will help Austin's air quality, and keeping sulfur content down by blending in BD would also fit in with Shell's general "to insure cleaner air" statement. Shell realizes it sounds much better when they say they are blending for cleaner air rather than because the government is making them do it.

PS - I'm not holding my breath for hydrogen power any time soon no matter what Shell's PR people say.

SoCal would NEVER do it. :mad:

There's a fuel station at the Pearson Ford in San Diego that sells B-20. I used to use it until they put a 10cent per gallon charge for using a credit card on all their fuel.

If that were a reason then we shouldn't be getting it here in Texas. LOTS of refineries here as well. We'll need to wait and see if the stations in Houston and Corpus start getting it.
I hear ya but politics in your state maybe different than in Pa, but who knows, hopefully we will get Bio here soon;)