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Navigating Options for Transportation Electrification and Solar Charging: Steps and Lessons Learned in Montana Communities
6/1/2024
Drawing on analysis and outreach in three Montana communities (Missoula, Bozeman, and Whitefish), this report provides guidance and best practices for other towns and cities across the country on how to effectively implement electric vehicle (EV) transportation options into their communities. The report incorporates logistical considerations—vehicle types, chargers, electricity generation—and useful strategies—effective stakeholder engagement, coordinating EV charging and renewable energy generation, and more—to cover the technological, economic, and environmental aspects of the transition to EVs.
Authors: Andrew Valainis; Kyla Maki; Chase Jones; Natalie Meyer; Amy Cilimburg
Solar Power + Electric Vehicle Charging: Capturing Synergies in Minnesota
6/1/2024
A suite of aggressive climate action legislation, including a series of solar development commitments, has contributed to Minnesota reducing the carbon intensity of its power sector by 29% over 2013 levels. However, the carbon footprint of each sector has not dropped equally. In 2018, the transportation sector overtook power generation as the leading emissions producer statewide. The same focus on solar energy—combined with electric vehicle (EV) use—offers a vital opportunity for Minnesota to decrease transportation emissions. The analysis in this report examines the underdeveloped synthesis between solar production and EV charging, presenting seven key findings paired with relevant recommendations to transform the market and decrease transportation-based emissions.
Authors: Brian Ross; Katelyn Bocklund; Matthew Prorok; Dane McFarlane; Abby Finis
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April 2024
5/15/2024
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 2024 is a quarterly report on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue describes prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between April 1, 2024 and April 15, 2024, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 59 cents from $3.06 to $3.65; diesel increased 13 cents from $3.94 to $4.07; CNG decreased 5 cents from $2.95 to $2.90; ethanol (E85) increased 41 cents from $2.55 to $2.96; propane decreased 4 cents from $3.49 to $3.45; and biodiesel (B20) increased 11 cents from $3.83 to $3.94.
According to Table 3, CNG is 75 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 20 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Hot Weather Impacts on Battery-Electric Transit Buses
5/1/2024
This help sheet provides information about the impact of hot weather on battery electric buses (BEB) that transit fleets should consider when integrating BEBs into their fleets and a checklist of relative precautions that transit agencies can take during the deployment planning process to ensure optimal performance of BEBs in hot weather.
Clean Cities and Communities Overview
4/26/2024
Clean Cities and Communities is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation's environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. As partners with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office, coalitions work to deploy affordable, efficient, and clean transportation; energy efficient mobility systems; and fuel-saving technologies and practices.
The Role of Biofuels and Biomass Feedstocks for Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050
4/11/2024
Bioenergy holds significant potential to transform the transportation sector, helping to eliminate hard-to-abate sources of emissions, such as aviation, that lack viable electrification alternatives. Further, integrating more biomass-based electrification pathways will diversify the country’s electrical grid, increasing its stability in the future. This study uses process-based analyses of biomass resources and pathways to demonstrate the decarbonization potential and cost-efficiency of scaling bioenergy in the United States.
High-Power Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Integration Platform (eCHIP): Design Guidelines and Specifications for DC Distribution-Based Charging Hub
4/1/2024
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded EVs@Scale Consortium aims to expand direct current (DC), distribution-based, high-power charging systems through eCHIP. Further, the eCHIP program seeks to develop affordable, efficient, and interoperable DC-coupled charging hubs (“DC hub”). This report provides a step-by-step analysis of the DC hub platform, including design, development, and implementation. The report also offers metrics and considerations for DC hub system design, using results from a preliminary eCHIP experiment as benchmarking.
Authors: Mithat John Kisacikoglu; Jason D. Harper; Rajendra Prasad Kandula; Alastair P. Thurlbeck; Akram Syed Ali
Advance Local Mobility Through Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Technologies
3/25/2024
Everyone deserves reliable, affordable, and safe transportation to connect people to jobs, healthcare, education, and recreation. Our transportation systems are interconnected, multimodal networks working together to move people and goods. These systems are dynamic and are being reshaped by factors such as population trends, new technologies, shifting labor models, economic forces, and changing climate. Energy efficient mobility systems (EEMS) technologies can help transportation planners ensure changes in our transportation systems are equitable and sustainable by improving energy efficiency, travel time, and affordability, as well as overall access to mobility. Transportation planners and decision makers can use the following EEMS tools and strategies to advance local mobility.
Authors: Reichelt, L.
Refueling Infrastructure Deployment in Low-Income and Non-Urban Communities
3/1/2024
Following the need for increased investment in infrastructure that supports low- and zero-emission vehicles in low-income and overburdened communities identified in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the eligibility criteria in the alternative fuel infrastructure tax credit that encourages investment in underserved communities, this report quantifies how many fueling amenities are currently located in census tracts that qualify for the tax credit, as well as the percent of the U.S. population and the percentage of current vehicle registrations that are located in the eligible census tracts.
Authors: Gohlke, D; Zhou, Y; Wu, X
National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy
3/1/2024
This report details the United States strategy for accelerating the sustainable and scalable deployment of reliable zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (ZE-MHDV) infrastructure along national freight corridors and at truck depots within freight hubs through 2040. The strategy is designed to guide infrastructure deployment to meet market demands, catalyze investments, and support utility and regulatory planning. This document identifies current opportunities for the early introduction of ZE-MHDVs, evaluates deployment factors that target favorable investment areas, and demonstrates how infrastructure can be phased in around the country, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and a multi-tier government approach.
Authors: Chu, K; Miller, K; Schroeder, A; Gilde, A; Laughlin, M
Levelized Cost of Dispensed Hydrogen for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
3/1/2024
This short technical report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examines a range of levelized costs of dispensed hydrogen (H2) from hydrogen refueling (or fueling) stations (HRS) for H2 heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). NREL presents a cost range for infrastructure feasible within the 2030 timeframe and explores different scenarios by varying hydrogen delivery distances, HRS sizes, HRS utilization rates, and economies of scale in the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model (HDSAM) tool. These comparisons reflect how different supply chain components affect the levelized cost of dispensed hydrogen.
Authors: Justin Bracci; Mariya Koleva; Mark Chung
Multi-State Transportation Electrification Impact Study
3/1/2024
This study was conducted to help answer technical and deployment questions about whether the electric grid can accommodate increasing demands from transportation electrification, particularly if it can accommodate the anticipated impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rulemakings if finalized as proposed on greenhouse gas emission standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty on-road vehicles The study analyzes charging infrastructure and distribution grid upgrade needs for California, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, which are indicative of a variety of transportation demand and utility distribution infrastructure in the United States.
Simulation-Based Assessment of Energy Consumption of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Tractors
2/27/2024
This report developed simulation models for conventional, parallel hybrid electric, series hybrid electric, fuel cell hybrid, and battery electric powertrain technologies for agricultural tractors, analyzing the potential energy efficiency and emissions benefits as well as technical challenges for implementing the vehicles. The study showed that both the battery electric and fuel cell hybrid tractors have higher potential to reduce energy consumption and emissions, but currently have inherent technical challenges, while the parallel hybrid and series hybrid powertrain tractors have varying energy efficiency benefits depending on the tractor size and operating cycle conditions.
Authors: Lajunen, A; Kivekas, K; Freyermuth, V; Vijayagopal, R; Kim, N
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2024
2/22/2024
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 2024 is a quarterly report on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue describes prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between January 1, 2024 and January 15, 2024, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has decreased 66 cents from $3.72 to $3.06; diesel decreased 58 cents from $4.52 to $3.94; CNG increased 10 cents from $2.85 to $2.95; ethanol (E85) decreased 50 cents from $3.05 to $2.55; propane increased 20 cents from $3.29 to $3.49; and biodiesel (B20) decreased 59 cents from $4.42 to $3.83.
According to Table 3, CNG is 11 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 26 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
