BioWillie: Star Power for Your Truck
Willie Nelson and Peter Bell are promoting BioWillie fuel
It was an unlikely meeting of two biodiesel enthusiasts that led to the marketing genius behind BioWillie biodiesel. As his tour bus was driving through Dallas, Willie Nelson contacted Peter Bell, CEO of Distribution Drive, a biodiesel producer and distributor in North Texas. As a native of South Africa, Bell didn't immediately realize the significance of the call. However, his native-Texan associates certainly did, and shortly after refueling his tour bus, the two started negotiations on a possible business venture. "That's when the light bulb went on for me that Willie Nelson would be an fantastic figurehead for biodiesel, and transition it from being primarily a niche fuel for fleets, government, and the military, and move it more into the mainstream," Bell said. "We got together initially in January and completed a deal in May, and we've been marketing the heck out of it."
Although Bell's company produces a variety of vegetable oil-based products, including straight vegetable oil (SVO) diesel, and Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) diesel, using these products in the existing diesel fuel distribution and storage infrastructure could present some difficulties, as pure vegetable diesel has a higher gel point, and is more susceptible to algae infestation. For the time being, Bell believes B20 is the most practical blend for current diesel users and retailers. "B20 is a fuel that has been tested a great deal and is in extensive use in many applications," he said. "The beauty of B20 is because it's not in such a concentrated form as B100, it doesn't react with any of the rubber hoses in the fuel pump or the vehicle's fuel system. For a retailer to switch over, it's really just a matter of changing the stickers on the pump."
Though distribution of the fuel originated in Texas, it is starting to become available at selected outlets around the country. "We just recently opened in South Carolina, and we will be opening in other states as we slowly roll out the program," Bell said.
However, the most significant expansion in the distribution of BioWillie may be just around the corner.DistributionDrive recently approached Love's Truck Stops about distributing the fuel, and Bell said that the venture's future looks bright. "We're very close with Love's. If Love's comes out with this offering, it will bring biodiesel into the mainstream for the first time. They are one of the major players in the truck-stop industry."