JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. confirmed that all of its 2011 and forward model-year diesel engines -- including those in the popular N-Series truck models and Isuzu Reach commercial van – can run on up to 20-percent biodiesel blends (B20).

Isuzu recently made the announcement at the National Biodiesel Board meeting in Washington, D.C. Isuzu Commercial Truck is the first Asian manufacturer to approve B20 for U.S. market spec engines, the National Biodiesel Board said.

“Our customers at Isuzu Commercial Truck of America have been asking for approval to use B20 in our products in the U.S. for many years,” said Brian Tabel, the company’s retail marketing manager. “We are really happy to now turn that request into a reality and bring B20 biodiesel capability to the U.S. market.”

Isuzu’s announcement is timely as the U.S. biodiesel industry ramps up for expected production volumes of at least 800 million gallons of biodiesel in 2011 to meet requirements under EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2) program. 

Made from a diverse mix of feedstocks, biodiesel is the only fuel produced in commercial scale volumes in the U.S. that qualifies as an Advanced Biofuel under EPA definitions.

“We are extremely pleased to see Isuzu Commercial Truck join the ranks of OEMs openly supporting B20 biodiesel blends,” said Joe Jobe, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “Now more than 60 percent of manufacturers in the U.S. market approve the use of B20 or higher blends in at least some of their equipment. With Isuzu setting the pace as a market leader in the medium-duty truck segment, we look forward to more OEM announcements of support for B20 in the near future.”