Publications

Primer on Motor Fuel Excise Taxes and the Role of Alternative Fuels and Energy Efficient Vehicles

8/24/2015

Motor fuel taxes were established to finance our nation's transportation infrastructure, yet evolving economic, political, and technological influences are constraining this ability. At the federal level, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is primarily funded by motor fuel taxes, has become increasingly dependent on general fund contributions and short-term reauthorizations to prevent insolvency. As a result, there are discussions at both the federal and state levels in which stakeholders are examining the future of motor fuel excise taxes as well as the role of electric and alternative fuel vehicles in that future.

This report intends to provide an overview of motor fuel taxation, review its specific relationship to alternative fuel use and vehicle efficiency, and outline approaches that a number of states have taken to address these issues. The specific focus is on motor fuels used in over-the-road transportation, which accounted for approximately 82% of all energy used for transportation in the United States in 2014 (EIA 2015a). The report primarily provides context around federal fuel tax rules and rates, but analogies can be drawn to individual state programs.

Authors: Schroeder, A

Long-Haul Truck Idling Burns Up Profits

8/12/2015

Long-haul truck drivers perform a vitally important service. In the course of their work, they must take rest periods as required by federal law. Most drivers remain in their trucks, which they keep running to provide power for heating, cooling, and other necessities. Such idling, however, comes at a cost; it is an expensive and polluting way to keep drivers safe and comfortable. Increasingly affordable alternatives to idling not only save money and reduce pollution, but also help drivers get a better night's rest.

Challenges and Opportunities for Transactive Control of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment: A Reference Guide

7/29/2015

This report seeks to characterize the opportunities and challenges that arise in developing a transactive control strategy for grid and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) integration in various use-case scenarios in a way that provides end-user, energy market, grid, and societal benefits. This report serves as a reference guide for stakeholders in the grid-EVSE integration area, illustrates potential implementations, and identifies a high-value research project for overcoming the barriers and unlocking the benefits of transactive controls of EVSE.

Authors: Jin, X.; Meintz, A.

Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration Results: Fourth Report

7/1/2015

This report presents results of a demonstration of fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) operating in Oakland, California. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) leads the Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) demonstration, which includes 12 advanced-design fuel cell buses and two hydrogen fueling stations. The ZEBA demonstration is the largest FCEB demonstration in the United States and involves five participating transit agencies. The ZEBA partners are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. NREL has published three previous reports, in August 2011, July 2012, and May 2014, describing operation of these buses. New results in this report provide an update covering data from November 2013 through December 2014.

Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.

Strategic Planning to Implement Publicly Available EV Charging Stations: A Guide for Businesses and Policymakers

7/1/2015

This guide, prepared for the National Association of State Energy Officials, answers questions that private investors and state and local agencies, such as state energy offices, may have in deciding whether and to what extent they should invest in publicly available charging infrastructure. It demonstrates that with continued public support in the near term, new business models could gradually make publicly available charging projects profitable for private businesses without additional government interventions.

Authors: Nigro, N.; Welch, D.; Peace, J.

Characterize the Demand and Energy Characteristics of Direct Current Fast Chargers

6/1/2015

The EV Project partnered with city, regional and state governments, utilities, and other organizations in 18 cities to deploy about 12,500 public and residential charging stations. It also demonstrated 8,650 plug-in electric vehicles. The focus of this paper is to identify the impact of direct current (DC) fast chargers charging on the total system load. It also identifies the characteristics of the aggregated group of DC fast chargers and a single typical DC fast charger and its charge profile or load duration curve.

What were the Cost Drivers for the DC Fast Charging Installations?

5/12/2015

The EV Project partnered with city, regional and state governments, utilities, and other organizations in 18 cities to deploy about 12,500 public and residential charging stations. It also demonstrated 8,650 plug-in electric vehicles. This evaluation reviews not only the costs and site conditions associated with the 111 DC fast chargers deployed during the EV Project, but also includes estimates obtained for another 50+ DC fast charger sites that were planned, but were not installed.

What were the "Best Practices" Identified for Residential Charger Installations?

4/1/2015

This lessons learned white paper is based on data from the EV Project which enrolled 8,000 residential participants to install and use residential electric vehicle supply equipment. Along with background information and key conclusions, this paper describes observations regarding permitting practices and best installation conditions.

Sample Workplace Charging Policy

3/2/2015

A sample workplace charging policy developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Workplace Charging Challenge.

Authors: Workplace Charging Challenge

Effects of Regional Temperature on Electric Vehicle Efficiency, Range, and Emissions in the United States

2/11/2015

We characterize the effect of regional temperature differences on battery electric vehicle (BEV) efficiency, range, and use-phase power plant CO2 emissions in the U.S. The efficiency of a BEV varies with ambient temperature due to battery efficiency and cabin climate control. We find that annual energy consumption of BEVs can increase by an average of 15% in the Upper Midwest or in the Southwest compared to the Pacific Coast due to temperature differences. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from BEVs vary primarily with marginal regional grid mix, which has three times the GHG intensity in the Upper Midwest as on the Pacific Coast. However, even within a grid region, BEV emissions vary by up to 22% due to spatial and temporal ambient temperature variation and its implications for vehicle efficiency and charging duration and timing. Cold climate regions also encounter days with substantial reduction in EV range: the average range of a Nissan Leaf on the coldest day of the year drops from 70 miles on the Pacific Coast to less than 45 miles in the Upper Midwest. These regional differences are large enough to affect adoption patterns and energy and environmental implications of BEVs relative to alternatives.

Authors: Yuksel, T.; Michalek, J. J.

Notes: This Environmental Science & Technology article is copyrighted by the American Chemical Society and only available by accessing it through ACS Publications.

Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Consumers

2/9/2015

This handbook is designed to answer a consumer's basic questions, as well as point them to additional information they need, to make the best decision about whether an electric-drive vehicle is right for them.

Fuel Cell Buses in U.S. Transit Fleets: Current Status 2014

1/29/2015

This report, published annually, summarizes the progress of fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) development in the United States and discusses the achievements and challenges of introducing fuel cell propulsion in transit. Various stakeholders, including FCEB developers, transit agencies, and system integrators, have expressed the value of this annual status report, which provides a summary of results from evaluations performed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The annual status report tracks the progress of the FCEB industry toward meeting technical targets, documents the lessons learned, and discusses the path forward for commercial viability of fuel cell technology for transit buses.

Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.; Gikakis, C.

Supporting the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Market: Best Practices from State PEV Programs

1/14/2015

This paper captures best practices in state-sponsored plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) buyer incentive programs, DC fast charging programs, and PEV awareness initiatives, as presented at the Transportation and Climate Initiative's 2014 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Workshop.

Authors: Powers, C.

Notes: This copyrighted publication is available on the Georgetown Climate Center website

Workplace Charging: Comparison of Sustainable Commuting Options

11/18/2014

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from employees' commutes, also known as Scope 3 emissions, is a top priority for many organizations interested in minimizing their carbon footprint. Scope 3 emissions are indirect GHG emissions from sources not owned or directly controlled by the organization but are related to their activities, including emissions from an employee's commute. Employers interested in investing in GHG emissions reduction efforts may want to compare the benefits of workplace charging to other commuter emission reduction investments such as subsidized public transportation or carpooling. The GHG emissions reduction benefit of workplace charging per dollar is comparable to, and in some cases greater than, other commuting options.

Authors: Brown, A.

U.S. Department of Energy's EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge, Progress Update 2014: Employers Take Charge

11/17/2014

Through the Workplace Charging Challenge, more than 150 partner organizations are accelerating the development of the nation's worksite PEV charging infrastructure and are supporting cleaner, more convenient transportation options within their communities. Challenge partners are currently providing access to PEV charging stations for more than 600,000 employees at more than 300 worksites across the country and are influencing countless other organizations to do the same.