Two on-road diesel pickups were operated on a mixture of 20 percent Biodiesel and 80 percent diesel for 80,000 kilometers (km). The engines were unmodified, but modifications were made to the vehicles for the convenience of the test. Fuel mixing was done on-board to extend the driving range to over 5,000 km between Biodiesel fill ups.
Chassis dynamometer testing, injector coking, engine compression, injector valve opening pressures, and engine oil analyses were done at regularly scheduled intervals to monitor the engine performance parameters. RME produced 5 percent less power than D2, while 20RME and 20RAW produced one percent less power than D2. Smoke density was reduced 39 percent with RME, while 20RME increased 18 percent, and 20RAW decreased smoke density by 3.1 times that of D2.
Emissions tests with a chassis transient dynamometer at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Authority Emissions Test Facility resulted in a decrease in HC (20 percent), CO (25 percent), NOx (2.6 percent), PM (10.9 percent), and there was no difference in CO2 with 20RME compared to D2.