Plug-In Electric Vehicle Deployment in the Northeast; A Market Overview and Literature Review
9/1/2012
Electric vehicles have the potential to decrease our nation's dependence on oil and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. In an effort to stimulate economic growth, decrease the United States' dependence on oil, and lessen the operating cost of personal transportation, the federal government issued a final rule in 2012 requiring new cars to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. This goal is ambitious and will be difficult to accomplish without significant numbers of alternative fuel vehicles. Several alternative fuels are currently available, but electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as the predominant alternative for passenger vehicles. While EVs are hitting the market and offer numerous advantages, such as zero tailpipe emissions, lower fuel costs, and the convenience of filling up at home, a number of barriers stand in the way of wide-scale EV deployment.
This literature review, prepared by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, provides an overview of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) deployment in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The report assesses current electric vehicle and electric vehicle charging station technology, looks at the state of PEV markets, reviews the benefits of PEV deployment, and identifies the barriers and challenges to PEVs in gaining market acceptance. The literature review is intended to serve as a resource for consumers and policy makers who seek to better understand the nature of electric vehicle deployment in this region and related challenges.
Authors: Zhu, C.; Nigro, N.
Clean Cities 2012 Vehicle Buyer's Guide
3/1/2012
The expanding availability of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles makes it easier than ever to reduce petroleum use, cut emissions, and save on fuel costs. The Clean Cities 2012 Vehicle Buyer's Guide features a comprehensive list of model year 2012 vehicles that can run on ethanol, biodiesel, electricity, propane or natural gas.
U.S. Virgin Islands Transportation Petroleum Reduction Plan
9/1/2011
The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has set a goal to reduce petroleum use 60% by 2025 compared to the business-as-usual scenario. Ground-based transportation is responsible for 40% of USVI petroleum use, so the USVI and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) set up a Transportation working group (TWG) to devise a way to meet the 60% reduction goal in the transportation sector. This report lays out the TWG's plan.
Authors: Johnson, C.
Plug-in Electric Vehicles: A Practical Plan for Progress
2/1/2011
This report examines public policies toward plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) including all electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It examines the pros and cons of PEVs, recent improvements in battery technology, market dynamics, and the proliferation of policies around the world that promote the use of PEVs. The focus is primarily near term (i.e., 2011-25), recognizing that the transportation electrification process will evolve in stages based on lessons learned in the years ahead. The report represents the views of the Transport Electrification Panel (TEP), a group of experts from multiple disciplines and organizations commissioned by the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Clean Cities 2011 Vehicle Buyer's Guide
1/1/2011
Guidebook to available Model Year 2011 alternative fuel and advanced vehicles including electric, plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles as well as vehicles powered by natural gas, propane, ethanol and biodiesel.
Vehicle Technologies Program: Goals, Strategies, and Top Accomplishments
12/1/2010
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP) is meeting this American dependence on oil with an integrated portfolio of advanced vehicle and fuel research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities. VTP accomplishes this work in collaboration with industryleaders, national laboratories, universities, state and local governments, and other stakeholders--harnessing a vast resource of expertise to help technologies developed in the laboratory make the transition to commercially successful products.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: A Guide for Local Governments in Washington State
7/1/2010
In 2009 the Washington State Legislature enacted a new law designed to encourage electric vehicles. To create a consistent regulatory framework that would help this industry grow across Washington State, the legislature required the Puget Sound Regional Council and Department of Commerce to develop guidance for local governments. To meet this requirement, a broad-based technical advisory committee made up of local governments, charging equipment vendors, utilities, ports, state agencies, and consumer interests was formed. The state's new electric vehicle law requires that all local governments in Washington State allow electric vehicle charging stations in most of their zoning categories. Allowing charging stations creates the need to address a number of issues beyond zoning. These include on-street and off-street signage, charging station design standards, parking enforcement, accessibility for all users, SEPA exemptions, and more. These issues are addressed in this document.
Authors: Technical Advisory Committee
NREL's PHEV/EV Li-ion Battery Secondary-Use Project
6/1/2010
Accelerated development and market penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) is restricted at present by the high cost of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. One way to address this problem is to recover a fraction of the battery's cost via reuse in other applications after it is retired from service in the vehicle, when the battery may still have sufficient performance to meet the requirements of other energy storage applications.
Authors: Neubauer, J.; Pesaran, A.
Technology Improvement Pathways to Cost-Effective Vehicle Electrification
2/1/2010
This paper evaluates several approaches aimed at making plug-in electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) cost-effective including opportunity charging, replacing the battery over the vehicle life, improving battery life, reducing battery cost, and providing electric power directly to the vehicle during a portion of its travel. Many combinations of PHEV electric range and battery power are included. For each case, the model accounts for battery cycle life and the national distribution of driving distances to size the battery optimally. Using the current estimates of battery life and cost, only the dynamically plugged-in pathway was cost-effective to the consumer. Significant improvements in battery life and battery cost also made PHEVs more cost-effective than today's hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (CVs).
Authors: Brooker, A.; Thornton, M.; Rugh, J.
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.
Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Production and Operating Costs
11/1/1999
This report presents an analysis of the initial cost of electric vehicles (EVs). The manufacturing and retail cost structure of mature conventional vehicles produced at high volume is analyzed first, and the contributions by various cost categories to vehicle price are estimated. The costs are then allocated to such vehicle component groups as body, chassis, and powertrain. The similarities and differences among various component systems are reviewed. In electric vehicles an electric drive replaces the conventional powertrain, and a battery pack replaces the fuel system. Three types of traction motors are reviewed, and their cost in high-volume production is analyzed. Various components of the motor and controller package are analyzed, and their representative costs are summarized. Four types of EV batteries are reviewed, and their costs are presented. Various alternatives for the low-, medium, and high-volume production of EVs are evaluated, and some sample costs are presented. A methodology that estimates initial and operating costs on the basis of this analysis is presented. The methodology also estimates the average lifetime cost of owning and operating an electric vehicle.
Authors: Cuenca, R.;Gains, L.;Vyas, A.
Notes: This document is available on the Argonne National Laboratory Transportation Technology Research and Development Center Web Site: http://www.transportation.anl.gov/ttrdc/publications/pdfs/esd-41.pdf
AFDC Update: News of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (Vol. 6, No. 1)
5/1/1997
This issue includes articles on: 1) EPA's redesign of conversion certification policies; 2) the introduction of an NGV incentive Bill in Congress; 3) the introduction of the Boxer Bill in Congress; 4) New Jersey transit's expanded refueling infrastructure; 5) a Sacramento group's efforts to increase awareness of EV benefits; 6) testing of hybrid electric buses by a New York R&D group; 7) the use of heavy-duty LNG vehicles at the L.A. Airport and USPS; 8) the introduction of a medium-duty NGV by DOE and USPS; 9) NGVC's council to support LNG; 10) EV charging sites in Arizona; 11) a fuel company's purchase of natural gas refueling stations; 12) the reduced cost of methanol in California; 13) heavy-duty alternatives from OEMs and rebuilders; 14) Chrysler's announcement of an E-85 minivan and gasoline-powered fuel cell; 15) Ford's provision of 15 E85 minivans for use in state and USPS fleets; 16) GM's announcement of CNG options in Sierra and C-Series pickup trucks; 17) DOE funding; 18) a Virginia company's CNG helicopters; 19) Clean Cities' addition of the first two Ohio cities; 20) the future of CNG in Philadelphia; and 21) the Clean Cities conference.