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Challenges and Experiences with Electric Propulsion Transit Buses in the United States
11/1/2003
This document provides background for transit agencies and other fleets that are considering the use of electric propulsion technologies. It tells potential users what to expect and what to plan for when implementing vehicles with electric propulsion systems (such as dedicated electric vehicles, hybrids, and even fuel cells) into their fleets. This document also addresses the unique issues that electrical integration can pose for fleet personnel and points to the similarities between implementing electric propulsion and any other significant new technology.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Gifford, M.
The Energy Smart Guide to Campus Cost Savings
7/1/2003
With 4,000-plus accredited, degree-granting institutions of postsecondary education in the U.S. and its outlying areas, energy efficiency improvements are impacting millions of students, faculty and staff. NACUBO and APPA are proud to have worked with the United States Department of Energy to bring you this resource guide, which is intended to give our members realworld input on a number of critical energy efficiency issues facing us today. It's also meant to alert our members to new opportunities to save both money and energy, while strengthening your institutions' contributions to environmental responsibility. And as such, it is part of our continuing services to our members. Our goal, as always, is to bring you up-to-date information you can use to make the difficult and important decisions that you face every day.
MTA New York City Transit
3/1/2003
The Role of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) is to bridge the gap between R&D of advanced vehicle technologies and commercial availability. This fact sheet examines testing activity for New York City Transit's fleet of diesel electric hybrid buses.
Study of Exhaust Emissions from Idling Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks and Commercially Available Idle-Reducing Devices
10/1/2002
Heavy duty diesel truck idling contributes significantly to energy consumption in the United States. The EPA initiated a study to quantify long duration idling emissions and fuel consumption rates over a two year period. It performed 42 tests on nine class-8 trucks (model years ranging from 1980s to 2001). Two of those trucks were equipped with 11 hp diesel auxiliary power units (APUs), and one was equipped with a diesel direct fired heater (DFH). The APU powers electrical accessories, heating, and air conditioning, whereas the DFH heats the cab in lieu of truck idling. Results indicate that use of an APU can reduce idling fuel consumption by 50 to 80% and reduce NOx by 89 to 94%. The use of a DFH can reduce fuel consumption by 94 to 96% and reduce NOx by 99%.
Authors: Lim, H.
Technical Assessment of Advanced Transit Bus Propulsion Systems
8/1/2002
This report provides the results of a technology assessment developed as part of Phase I of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Zero Emission Program (ZEP). The scope of this report explores the advanced propulsion technologies feasible for bus ordering by DART in 2007 (replacing the model year 1998 and prior standard bus fleet) and capable of adequate performance for DART service, while meeting the emissions standards.
Battery-Powered Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Projects to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Resource Guide for Project Development
7/1/2002
This report provides national and international project developers with a guide on how to estimate and document the GHG emission reduction benefits and/or penalties for battery-powered and hybrid-electric vehicle projects. This primer also provides a resource for the creation of GHG emission reduction projects for the Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) Pilot Phase and in anticipation of other market based project mechanisms proposed under the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC). Though it will be necessary for project developers and other entities to evaluate the emission benefits of each project on a case-by-case basis, this primer will provide a guide for determining which data and information to include during the process of developing the project proposal.
Alternative Fuels in Public Transit: A Match Made on the Road
3/1/2002
As alternative fuels compete with conventional fuels for a place in public awareness and acceptance, one of their most visible applications is in public transportation. Vehicles, particularly buses and shuttles, that carry people in large numbers, stand to gain much from using alternative fuels. Such high-demand fuel users can help sustain a fueling infrastructure that supports private autos and other smaller vehicles.
U.S. Postal Service Fountain Valley Electric Carrier Route Vehicle Testing
1/1/2002
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has ordered 500 light-duty electric carrier route vehicles (ECRV) mostly for their delivery carriers to use in several California locations. The 500 ECRVs have been defined as a demonstration fleet to support a decision on potentially ordering 5,500 additional ECRVs. Several different test methods are being used by the USPS to evaluate the 500-vehicle deployment. One of these test methods is the ECRV Customer Acceptance Test Program at Fountain Valley, California. Two newly manufactured ECRVs were delivered to the Fountain Valley Post Office and eighteen mail carriers primarily drove the ECRVs on ?park and loop? mail delivery routes for a period of 2 days each. This ECRV testing consisted of 36 route tests, 18 tests per vehicle. The 18 mail carriers testing the ECRVs were surveyed for their opinions on the performance of the ECRVs. The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Field Operations Program, is supporting the USPS?s ECRV testing activities both financially and with technical expertise.
Authors: Francfort, J.
Alternative Motor Fuels and Vehicles: Impact on the Transportation Sector
7/10/2001
This document is the testimony given by Jim Wells, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. General Accounting Office, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The statement discusses the extent of alternative fuel vehicle acquisition and fuel use, some of the barriers inhibiting greater use of alternative fuels and vehicles, and the federal tax incentives used to promote the use of alternative motor fuels and vehicles in the U.S.
Future U.S. Highway Energy Use: A Fifty Year Perspective
5/3/2001
The U.S. Transportation system as a whole and the highway mode in particular will be much different in the year 2050 compared to today. The type and number of vehicles in use and the fuels employed to power them are unknown. Yet planning for the future requires acting on the information at hand: assessing the implications of the current path and the potential benefit of alternative futures. This paper puts transportation energy issues into a long-run perspective so that informed planning can begin early enough to make a decisive difference. This paper examines the global oil supply and demand over the next 50 years to show that a transition away from conventional oil will begin. The analysis reviews the energy, economic, and environmental implications of the alternatives that are available to meet some of the anticipated gap between world conventional oil production and the liquid fuels required to support a growing world economy. This paper then describes several U.S. Transportation technology strategies with a range of efficiency improvements and fuel substitutions, and calculates their first order effects on energy use, petroleum consumption, and carbon emissions over a 50-year time horizon.
Authors: Birky, A.; Greene, D.; Gross, T.; Hamilton, D.; Heitner, K.; Johnson, L.; Maples, J.; Moore, J.; Patterson, P.; Plotkin, S.; Stodolsky, F.
Notes: This report is available on the Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT) Web site at http://www.ott.doe.gov/facts/publications/hwyfuture.pdf
Taking an Alternative Route: A Guide for Fleet Operators and Individual Owners Using Alternative Fuels in Cars and Trucks
4/1/2001
DOE has prepared this guide to help you determine whether your fleet is covered by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), and to provide information on available alternative fuels and vehicles. With this information, fleets can shorten the time it takes to improve air quality and pave our nation's road to energy independence by using AFVs certified to meet EPA's Clean Fuel Fleet standards as well as the mandated EPAct requirements.
State Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentives: A Decade and More of Lessons Learned
2/1/2001
This report assesses the effectiveness of state incentives and suggests incentives that might encourage new vehicle technologies. It does not assess whether a state should promote alternative fuel vehicles or whether such vehicles are the most effective means to reduce air pollution. Rather, the analysis analyzes the effectiveness of state incentives of the past decade and describes the characteristics of effective alternative fuel vehicle incentives and the fiscal implications for a state that is committed to support an effective alternative fuel vehicle program.
Authors: Brown, M.;Breckenridge, L.