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The Evolution of Powertrain Technology 2008 and Beyond: Engines, Hybrids, Battery Electric, Fuel Cells, Transmissions
1/1/2007
The objectives of this study were to provide automotive suppliers and OEMs with a set of plausible alternatives that cover the future vehicle market, crude oil prices, regulatory and business environment; provide an assessment of benefits and costs of various powertrain technologies; identify the technical and market barriers that must be overcome to bring these technologies to market; provide a forecast of the potential market share of these technologies.
Authors: Gott, P.; Linna, J-R; Mello, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2006
10/1/2006
The October 2006 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders in September and October 2006, 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 1 illustrates that alternative fuel prices relative to conventional fuels vary, with some (propane and biodiesel) higher and some (E85 and CNG) lower. CNG is about 45 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 11 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
King County Metro Transit: Allison Hybrid Electric Transit Bus Laboratory Testing
9/1/2006
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's ReFUEL facility conducted chassis dynamometer testing of two 60-foot articulated transit buses, one conventional and one hybrid. Both test vehicles were 2004 New Flyer buses powered by Caterpillar C9 8.8L engines, with the hybrid vehicle incorporating a GM-Allison advanced hybrid electric drivetrain. Both vehicles also incorporated an oxidizing diesel particulate filter. The hybrid vehicle demonstrated the greatest improvement in fuel economy in the low speed, heavy stop-and-go driving conditions of the Manhattan (N.Y.)test cycle (74.6%), followed by the Orange County (Calif.) test cycle (50.6%), the Central Business District cycle (48.3%), and the King County (Wash.) Metro test cycle (30.3%). Emission trends were similar to fuel economy improvement trends. The hybrid shoed reductions in NOx emissions over the Manhattan cycle (38.7%), the Orange County cycle (28.6%), the Central Business District cycle (26.6%), and the King County test cycle (17.8%). Vehicle exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and state of charge of the energy storage system were measured for repeated test conditions. The remainder of this document includes the experimental setup, test procedures, and results from vehicle testing performed at the NREL ReFUEL laboratory.
Authors: Hayes, R.R.; Williams, A.; Ireland, J.; Walkowicz, K.
Case Study: Ebus Hybrid Electric Buses and Trolleys
7/1/2006
The Indianapolis Transportation Corp. and Knoxville Area Transit participated in a demonstration of hybrid electric buses and trolleys produced by Ebus, Inc. of Downey, California. This is a case study of performance, costs, and maintenance experience.
Authors: Barnitt, R.
SunLine Expands Horizons with Fuel Cell Bus Demo
5/1/2006
Sunline Transit Agency, a joint powers authority that provides public transit and community services to California's Coachella Valley, was an early adopter of alternative fuels for bus operations. SunLine replaced its diesel fleet with CNG buses and has worked to further reduce emissions. SunLine is currently testing a prototype fuel cell bus.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle Fleet and Baseline Performance Testing
4/3/2006
The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) conducts baseline performance and fleet testing of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). To date, the AVTA has completed baseline performance testing on 7 HEV models and accumulated 1.4 million fleet testing miles on 26 HEVs. Tested models include: Toyota Gen I and Gen II Prius, and Highlander; Honda Insight, Civic and Accord; Chevrolet Silverado; Ford Escape; and Lexus RX 400h. The baseline performance testing includes dynamometer and closed track testing to document the HEV's fuel economy and performance in a controlled environment. During fleet testing, two of each HEV model were driven to 160,000 miles per vehicle. At the conclusion of the 160,000 miles of fleet testing, fuel economy tests were rerun and each HEV battery pack was tested. The paper discusses the testing methods and results.
Authors: Francfort, J.; Karner, D.; Harkins, R.; Tardiolo, J.
Notes: Paper is available for purchase from SAE.
King County Metro Transit Hybrid Articulated Buses: Interim Evaluation Results
4/1/2006
This is an interim technical report comparing and evaluating new diesel and diesel hybrid-electric articulated buses operated as part of the King County Metro Transit fleet in Seattle, Washington. This report covers the first six months of a planned 12-month evaluation.
Authors: Chandler, K., Walkowicz, K.
Credit for New Qualified Alternative Motor Vehicles (Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicles and Qualified Hybrid Motor Vehicles)
1/13/2006
On January 13, 2006, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance regarding the tax credits for light-duty (less than 8,500 lbs. GVWR) lean-burn and hybrid electric vehicles. The guidance establishes the procedures that manufacturers must use to certify that their vehicles qualify for the tax credit. The IRS plans to issue additional guidance at a later date to address procedures for qualifying alternative fuel vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles.
The guidance provides procedures whereby a manufacturer may certify to the IRS that its vehicles qualify for the tax credits enacted in EPAct 2005. The guidance also provides procedures for reporting on the total number of qualifying vehicles that have been sold. Upon receiving the required information, the IRS will issue an acknowledgement. A manufacturer that has submitted the proper certification and received an acknowledgement from the IRS may then certify to customers/puchasers that the vehicles qualify for tax credits. For taxpayers to claim the credit, they must place the vehicle in service after December 31, 2005. The taxpayer also must be the original user of the vehicle (first purchaser or lessee) and the vehicle must be predominately used in the U.S.
