Missed opportunities and lessons learned, evaluation of the initiative on B30 biodiesel in the CIVITAS project of the Belgian City Ghent

•Introduction of B30 biodiesel in the car fleet of the Belgian city of Ghent.•This CIVITAS initiative failed because of several reasons.•Misconceptions on technical aspects lead to distrust and often warranty withdrawal.•Monitoring and a consistent policy on taxation could overcome part of the problems.

In the framework of the European CIVITAS project in the Belgian City Ghent, the initiative was taken to introduce B30 biodiesel in the city car fleet. Yet, implementation turned out to be difficult due to a combination of reasons which will be discussed in detail in the manuscript. First of all, there is no consistent policy on the taxation of high-blend biofuels in Belgium. Furthermore, questions and misconceptions on technical aspects lead to distrust by the consumers and retailers, often resulting in the needless withdrawal of the vehicle warranty. Finally, the lack of a good monitoring program to measure emissions, impact on car maintenance and B30 economics during the project is seen as a missed opportunity.