DETROIT – DaimlerChrysler has approved the use of B-20 fuels in its Dodge Ram pickups for government, military, and commercial fleet customers, according to Brownfield. DaimlerChrysler’s announcement comes at a time when the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has initiated an $11 million project with the U.S. Department of Energy and major diesel engine manufacturers. The project’s aim is to make biodiesel blends up to B-20 significantly cleaner than today’s cleanest natural gas engines or hybrid vehicles. Use of B-20 is approved for Dodge Ram pickups equipped with Cummins diesel engines for model-year 2007, according to a news release from the South Dakota Soybean Association. Last year, Chrysler Group initiated a factory fill of B-5 in the Jeep Liberty diesel SUV at the assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio. The auto manufacturer is working with the NBB and others to develop a consistent, universally applied American Society for Testing and Materials quality standard for biodiesel fuels. That would allow DaimlerChrysler to recommend B-20 to all Dodge Ram diesel owners.