Demonstration and Evaluation of Hybrid Diesel-Electric Transit Buses
10/25/2005
This report, written by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering for the Connecticut Department of Transportation and CTTransit, details the demonstration and evaluation of hybrid diesel-electric transit buses. The project goal was to identify the next generation of transit vehicles for future fleet replacement that are cost effective, reliable, produce fewer emissions, and have improved fuel economy compared to the standard heavy-duty diesel powered bus. Data was collected to produce an estimated life-cycle cost analysis, emissions information, mileage, fuel economy, power production, brake pad wear, and maintenance and repair costs. Bus operator and customer surveys were also conducted. Results were completed on Dec. 31, 2004. The results found the hybrid buses to be very reliable and to achieve 10% better fuel economy than their comparable diesel buses. All vehicle emissions in the study were the same. The hybrid buses had a lower life-cycle cost when the current FTA 80% purchase subsidy was considered.
Energy Storage Systems Considerations for Grid-Charged Hybrid Electric Vehicles
9/7/2005
This paper calculates battery power and energy requirements for grid-charged hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) with different operating strategies. It considers the traditional all-electric-range-based operating concept and shows that this strategy can require a larger, more expensive battery due to the simultaneous requirement for high energy and power. It then proposes an alternative "electric-assist" operating concept for grid-charged HEVs to enable the use of a smaller, less costly battery.
Authors: Markel, T.; Simpson, A.
Energy Policy Act of 2005
8/8/2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) included measuring governing energy efficiency, renewable energy, oil and gas use, clean coal power, nuclear energy, and vehicles and fuels including the use of alternative fuels, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell buses, clean fuel school buses, automobile efficiency, and diesel emissions reduction.
Authors: Public Law 109-58, 109th Congress
Yosemite Waters Vehicle Evaluation Report: Final Results
8/1/2005
This study was a joint effort between the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The overall goal of the project was to evaluate the use of gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel in combination with passive catalytic regenerative particle filters in real-world service and characterize regulated and unregulated exhaust pollutant emissions from GTL fuel in comparison to petroleum-derived diesel fuel.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Barnitt, R.; Alleman, T.
Overview of Advanced Technology Transportation, 2005 Update
8/1/2005
This overview of the 2005 transportation market includes hybrid, fuel cell, hydrogen, and alternative fuel vehicles. It covers vehicle sales, emissions, potential partners, advanced technology vehicle availability, and other factors. It also offers a "snapshot" of current vehicle technologies and trends.
Authors: Barnitt, R.; Eudy, L.
Well-to-Wheels Analysis of Advanced Fuel/Vehicle Systems - A North American Study of Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Criteria Pollutant Emissions
5/30/2005
An accurate assessment of future fuel/propulsion system options requires a complete vehicle fuel-cycle analysis, commonly called a well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis. In this WTW study, we analyzed energy use and emissions associated with fuel production (or well-to-tank [WTT]) activities and energy use andemissions associated with vehicle operation (or tank-to-wheels [TTW])activities. Energy resources, such as petroleum, natural gas (NG), coal, and biomass, as well as the energy carrier, electricity, are considered as feedstocks to produce various transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel fuel, hydrogen (H2), ethanol (EtOH), compressed natural gas (CNG), methanol (MeOH), and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel. The propulsion systems evaluated were spark-ignition (SI) engines, compression-ignition (CI) engines, hydrogen fuel cells, and fuel processor fuel cells, all in non-hybrid and hybrid electric configurations.This study updates and supplements a previous (2001) North American study, conducted by GM and others (General Motors [GM] et al. 2001), of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with advanced vehicle/fuel systems (GM Phase 1 North American study). The primary purposeof this Phase 2 study is to address criteria pollutant emissions, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 10 microns (PM10), and sulfur oxide emissions (SOx). We also updated the vehicle modeling for energyconsumption with the latest powertrain maps and added some additional propulsion systems, such as hydrogen internal combustion engines (ICEs).As in the previous study, the vehicle modeled was a 2010-model-year, full-sized GM pickup truck. The truck was selected because it is a high seller among light-duty vehicles (cars and trucks) in the U.S. market, and light-duty trucks account for a large proportion of the fuel used in the U.S. vehicle fleet. In our study, we attempted
Authors: Brinkman, Norman; Wang, Michael; Weber, Trudy; Darlington, Thomas
Mobility Chains Analysis of Technologies for Passenger Cars and Light-Duty Vehicles Fueled with Biofuels: Application of the GREET Model to the Role of Biomass in America's Energy Future (RBAEF) Project
5/30/2005
The Role of Biomass in America?s Energy Future (RBAEF) is a multi-institution, multiple-sponsor research project. The primary focus of the project is to analyze and assess the potential of transportation fuels derived from cellulosic biomass in the years 2015 to 2030. For this project, researchers at Dartmouth College and Princeton University designed and simulated an advanced fermentation process to produce fuel ethanol/protein, a thermochemical process to produce Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FTD) and dimethyl ether (DME), and a combined heat and power plant to co-produce steam and electricity using the ASPEN Plus? model. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted, for the RBAEF project, a mobility chains or well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model developed at ANL. The mobility chains analysis was intended to estimate the energy consumption and emissions associated with the use of different production biofuels in light-duty vehicle technologies.
Authors: Wu, May; Wu, Ye; Wang, Michael
Alternative Fuels Commercialization in Support of the 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report
5/1/2005
California's demand for transportation fuels has increased 53 percent in the last 20 years and in the next 20 years, gasoline and diesel demand will increase another 36 percent. California refineries rely increasingly on imported petroleum products to meet this demand. In 2003, the California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board adopted a two-pronged strategy to reduce petroleum demand: promoting improved vehicle efficiency, and increasing use of alternative fuels. This report discusses those alternative fuels used in transportation, including biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, gas to liquid fuels, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), and natural gas.
Authors: California Energy Commission Staff
New York City Transit Drives Hybrid Electric Buses Into the Future
4/1/2005
The Metropolitan Transit Authority' York City Transit (NYCT) is the largest public transportation system in the United States and a leader in the use of clean bus technologies. NYCT launched a pilot fleet of hybrid electric buses in 1998. A larger fleet of next-generation production hybrid electric buses began entering service in 2004. The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) evaluated NYCT's pilot fleet and is evaluating the production buses. This report provides an update on the evaluation of NYCT's production hybrid electric buses and reviews the evolution of hybrid electric bus technologies pioneered by NYCT and other progressive transit agencies.
Honda Emergency Response Guide For Hybrid Vehicles
1/1/2005
Prepared for fire service, law enforcement, emergency medical, and professional towing personnel, this guide includes information about vehicle hazards, emergency, and towing procedures for the Honda hybrid electric vehicles.
Fuel Cell Hybrid Bus Lands at Hickam AFB
9/13/2004
A fuel cell hybrid electric bus was unveiled at Honolulu's Hickam Air Force Base in February 2004, becoming the first fuel cell vehicle in Hawaii and the first in the U.S. Air Force. The 30-foot flight crew shuttle bus will undergo 1 year of in-service data collection and evaluation, then will continue in routine service at the base.