Willow Glen Resident

Business

Rotten Robbie among first in state to offer drivers biodiesel as an option at the pump

By Lydia Sarraille

A new way to go green has come to Silicon Valley courtesy of homegrown gas company Rotten Robbie.

The San Jose-based company, founded by the Robinson family, has added B20 biodiesel to three local stations, including the one closest to Willow Glen is located at 4962 Almaden Expressway, making Rotten Robbie the first Silicon Valley gas company to supply the alternative fuel.

Tom Robinson, president of Rotten Robbie, said the choice to start offering B20 biodiesel, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum-based diesel fuel, was out of environmental concern and to provide another option to customers.

"As a private brander, we want to be able to provide as many options to the consumer as possible to maintain a competitive market," Robinson said. "This is a bit of an experiment to see whether there is a market for B20 and whether it can become a viable alternative fuel option."

Rotten Robbie locations on Almaden Expressway and on Piedmont Road in San Jose and on Whisman Road in Mountain View began carrying the B20 blend in tanks that are normally used for kerosene.

"With it being summer, the demand for kerosene is down so we thought this might be a good use of the space," Robinson said.

Robinson's father, Don Robinson, created Rotten Robbie from a company that his father-in-law started in the late 1930s in Watsonville.

The elder Robinson, who continues to act as Rotten Robbie's chairman, made the company his own, lending his nickname "Robbie" to the chain and expanding it to include 32 stations in the Bay Area.

Since then, Rotten Robbie has cultivated a reputation for cheap gas in a world of ever-climbing prices.

Tom Robinson's daughters and Willow Glen residents Reilly Musser and Erin Robinson , have continued the family legacy and work as marketing managers within the company.

Both women had a hand in the process of adding B20 to the three stations, Robinson said.

Musser, who oversaw the marketing aspects of the switch, said trying to educate customers about biodiesel has been one of the biggest challenges involved.

"We put out a pamphlet that explains what biodiesel is and how it should be used," Musser said. "It's a relatively new product, so some people know about it and some don't."

Musser said B20 can be used in most regular diesel engines, but anyone thinking of switching should look at their manufacturer's recommendations concerning the use of biodiesel.

Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable-based oils, can be used alone or mixed with regular petroleum based diesel. Regular engines can be converted to burn biodiesel only, sometimes without more than a switch from rubber to synthetic fuel lines.

There are several ways ecologically or politically motivated consumers can get their hands on bio, either making it themselves with backyard kits or buying at the pump.

The hitch is that biodiesel is only cheaper when produced by the individual using it.

At Rotten Robbie, B20 is being sold at the same price as regular diesel. Robinson says he wants to see what the customer truly prefers.

B20 prices fluctuate depending on two markets, Robinson points out. If the price of corn or soybeans goes up, biodiesel can become more expensive even if the price of petroleum oil is dropping.

Rotten Robbie gets its B20 from Coast Oil, a local distributor that ships in biodiesel from the Midwest.

Robinson says he can't say for sure whether biodiesel will be the answer to the energy crisis, since there are many variables to consider.

"What happens with any alternative fuel is that things like government mandates start to crop up as there have been with ethanol as an additive, and there are always unintended consequences," Robinson said.

Robinson points to the rising price of corn as one consequence of the mandate to add ethanol to all gasoline, and wonders if there might be similar consequences to using B20.

Robinson said E85, which is a mostly made of corn-based alcohol fuel ethanol, is also a viable alternative fuel, but to start carrying it would have been prohibitively expensive.

"I thought we'd give biodiesel a shot since it was such an easy switch and see how many people were out there looking for it," Robinson said. "I just don't think we can say for sure what the best alternative fuel is. We're trying bio right now for the fun of it, just to see what happens."

For more information on Rotten Robbie and biodiesel, visit www.rottenrobbie.com.