Loading...
Analyzing Vehicle Fuel Saving Opportunities through Intelligent Driver Feedback
4/16/2012
Driving style changes, e.g., improving driver efficiency and motivating driver behavior changes, could deliver significant petroleum savings. This project examines eliminating stop-and-go driving and unnecessary idling, and also adjusting acceleration rates and cruising speeds to ideal levels to quantify fuel savings. Such extreme adjustments can result in dramatic fuel savings of over 30%, but would in reality only be achievable through automated control of vehicles and traffic flow. In real-world driving, efficient driving behaviors could reduce fuel use by 20% on aggressively driven cycles and by 5-10% on more moderately driven trips. A literature survey was conducted of driver behavior influences, and pertinent factors from on-road experiments with different driving styles were observed. This effort highlighted important driver influences such as surrounding vehicle behavior, anxiety over trying to get somewhere quickly, and the power/torque available from the vehicle. Existing feedback approaches often deliver efficiency information and instruction. Three recommendations for maximizing fuel savings from potential drive cycle improvement are: 1) leveraging applications with enhanced incentives, 2) using an approach that is easy and widely deployable to motivate drivers, and 3) utilizing connected vehicle and automation technologies to achieve large and widespread efficiency improvements.
Authors: Gonder, J.; Earleywine, M.; and Sparks, W.
Notes: Posted with permission. Presented at the 2012 SAE World Congress and Exhibition, April 24-26, 2012, Detroit, Michigan.
Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2009 (Revised)
8/10/2011
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asks Clean Cities coordinators to submit an annual report of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Data and information are submitted to an online database that is maintained as part of the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Coordinators submit a range of data that characterizes the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions. They also submit data about sales of alternative fuels, deployment of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), idle reduction initiatives, fuel economy activities, and programs to reduce vehicle miles driven. NREL analyzes the data and translates them into gasoline reduction impacts, which are summarized in this report.
Authors: Johnson, C.
FedEx Express Gasoline Hybrid Electric Delivery Truck Evaluation: 12-Month Report
1/1/2011
This document presents the final results of a technology evaluation of gasoline hybrid electric parcel delivery trucks operated by FedEx Express in and around Los Angeles, California. FedEx Express is a large commercial fleet that operates more than 30,000 motorized vehicles and has hybrid electric (diesel and gasoline) vehicles currently in service. FedEx Express has deployed 20 gasoline hybrid electric vehicles (gHEVs) on parcel delivery routes in the Sacramento and Los Angeles areas. These gHEVs (Figure 1) are built upon a Ford E-450 strip chassis, and each vehicle is powered by a Ford 5.4L gasoline engine and Azure Dynamics, Inc. (AZD) Balance Hybrid System. Additional vehicle information is discussed in subsequent sections, while the specifics of the hybrid system evaluated are presented in Table 1. FedEx Express was the domestic launch customer for the AZD Balance Hybrid electric product.
Authors: Barnitt, R.
To Idle or Not to Idle: That is the Question
11/1/2010
Should I idle my car to warm it up before I drive? Should I shut the engine off while waiting to pick up a passenger or for a train to go by? Is it better to pick up food at a drive-through or to park and go into the restaurant? These are common questions that people ask when they want to know more about how to drive "green." There are conflicting answers in the literature, which has led to confusion. This poster presents the results of measurements performed on both diesel and gasoline passenger vehicles at Argonne National Laboratory. The answers are found to depend on vehicle type, ambient temperature, time, local laws, and what criteria are used to define "green."
An Action Plan for Cars: The Policies Needed to Reduce U.S. Petroleum Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
12/1/2009
Reducing petroleum consumption and GHG emissions from cars and light?]duty trucks in the United States over the next several decades requires that we implement a clear and coordinated set of policies now. This report describes a portfolio of policies which, in the view of the authors, is needed to put personal vehicle transportation on the road to sustainability in the longer term. To incentivize adoption of more fuel efficient vehicles, we propose coupling existing near?]term fuel economy standards with a feebate incentive program and gradual increases in fuel taxes. We further propose driver education initiatives that would give vehicle owners information on how to maximize fuel savings in their purchase and driving decisions. Finally, we underscore the need for a long?]term strategy for fuels that evaluates fuels?]related programs based on their contribution to reducing life?]cycle petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Together, these policies offer a robust plan of action that will focus and streamline current efforts to achieve these two important national goals. Perhaps most importantly, this plan lays a much?]needed foundation for a comprehensive, adaptable long?]term policy effort. A more detailed summary of the recommended set of policy measures can be found in Section 2.
Authors: Heywood, J.; Baptista, P.; Berry, I.; Bhatt, K.; Cheah, L.; De Sisternes, F.; Karplus, V.; Keith, D.; Khusid, M.; MacKenzie, D.; McAulay, J.
Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2008
9/1/2009
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asks Clean Cities coordinators to submit an annual report of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Approximately 412 million gallons of gasoline were displaced through the Clean Cities efforts in 2008?14% more than in 2007. This displacement represents the combined results of the activities reported by coalitions (as analyzed by NREL) and the impacts of the Fuel Economy Guide and related activities (as estimated by ORNL). Three major changes were made to the Clean Cities survey this year: E10 is no longer counted toward petroleum displacement goals, coordinators no longer relied on a default assumption for the percent of time flex-fueled vehicles used alternative fuel, and B20 was moved from the AFV to the blends category. The first of these changes substantially reduced the reported petroleum displacement by blends from what they otherwise would have been in 2008. AFVs still accounted for the largest share (48%) of the total 412-million-gallon displacement. Fuel economy impacts (combined impacts of coalition and ORNL activity) were responsible for displacing 129 million gallons. The use of biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) as fuels for AFVs and in low-level biodiesel blends displaced 100 million gallons, or 24% of the total, and idle reduction and HEV technologies combined to displace 20 million gallons. 2008 was the first year that greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions were estimated for Clean Cities activities. The program kept a total of 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from being emitted to the atmosphere?the equivalent of removing over 507,000 passenger cars from U.S. roads.
Authors: Bergeron, P.; Johnson, C.
Compendium of Regulatory Language of U.S. Idle Ordinances and Laws
2/1/2009
Beginning with EPA's model state idling law, this document presents the regulatory language for all known city, county, multi-jurisdictional, and statewide idle laws across the United States. The regulatory language presented represents idle laws as incorporated by the controlling authorityat the time of collation. These laws vary in their prescribed maximum idle times, number and type of exceptions, and geographic scope. They are presented so that an interested party can use these laws to help guide creation of idle laws that suit their area. Pdf includes an interactive contents page to direct reader to state and city.
School Bus Idling Reduction: Project Report and Implementation Guide for Oklahoma School Districts
1/1/2009
School bus idling wastes fuel and financial resources while producing exhaust emissions that are harmful to human health and the environment. Beginning in late 2006, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, Choctaw-Nicoma Park Public Schools, and the Oklahomas Department of Environmental Quality undertook a two-year project to determine the extend of fuel and emissions savings that Oklahoma school district might expect by instituting a maximum five-minute school bus idling policy. This report offers the study's findings to public school districts in Oklahoma and elsewhere. Results indicate that for every five minutes of daily idling time reduced over the course of a school year, 7.5 gallons of fuel per bus can be saved for a collective savings of more than 58,000 gallons of diesel fuel saved annually.
Energy Use and Emissions Comparison of Idling Reduction Options for Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks
11/15/2008
Pollution and energy analyses of different idling reduction (IR) technologies have been limited to localized vehicle emissions and neglected upstream energy use and regional emissions. In light of increasing regulation and government incentives for IR, we analyzed the full-fuel-cycle effects of contemporary approaches. Our analysis incorporates direct impacts at the truck and upstream energy use and emissions estimates from the GREET model with published climate and vehicle operation data. We compared emissions, energy use, and proximity to urban populations for nine alternatives, including idling, electrified parking spaces, auxiliary power units, and several combinations of these.
Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool
11/1/2008
The Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool helps fleets, consumers, and business owners create a strategy to reudce conventional fuel use in fleet and personal vehicles. This interactive tool allows users to evaluate and calculate petroleum reductions by choosing one or a combination of methods.
Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2007
9/1/2008
This report summarizes the Department of Energy's Clean Cities coalition accomplishments in 2007, including petroleum displacement data, membership, funding, sales of alternative fuel blends, deployment of AFVs and HEVs, idle reduction initiatives, and fuel economy activities.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Bergeron, P.
Options for Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles in Greensburg, Kansas
5/1/2008
After a devastating tornado that destroyed the town of Greensburg, Kansas in May 2007, plans were developed to rebuild the town as a sustainable community. This report focuses on outlining key success factors of infrastructure, alternative vehicles, and alternative and renewable fuels as part of an integrated energy strategy.
Authors: Harrow, G.
Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2006
7/1/2007
Clean Cities coordinators submit an annual report of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Coordinators submit a range of data that characterize the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions as well as data about sales of alternative fuel blends, deployment of alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, idle reduction initiatives, and fuel economy activities. NREL analyzes the data and translates them into gasoline reduction impacts.
Survey results indicate that about 375 million gallons of gasoline were displaced through Clean Citiew efforts in 2006, 50 percent more than in 2005. Alternative fuel vehicles accounted for 71 percent of the reduction. Biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) used in AFVs displaced 128 million gallons, 34 percent of the total 375 million.
Authors: Bergeron, P.; Putsche, V.
Characterization of Fine Particle and Gaseous Emissions During School Bus Idling
6/8/2007
The particulate matter (PM) and gaseous emissions from 6 diesel school buses were determined over a simulated waiting period typical of schools in the NE United States. Testing was conducted for both continuous idel and hot restart conditions using a suite of on-line particle and gas analyzers installed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Aerosol Laboratory. Results of the study showed little difference in the measured emissions between a 10-minute post-restart idle and a 10-minute continuous idle with the exception of total hydrocarbons and formaldehyde. However, an emissions pulse was observed during engine restart. A predictive equation was developed from the experimental data, which allows a comparison between continuous idle and hot restart for NOx, CO, PM-2.5, and PAHs. This equation indicates that restart is the preferred operating scenario as long as there is no extended idling after the engine is restarted.
Authors: Kinsey, J.; Williams, D.; Dong, Y.; Logan, R.
The Harmful Effects of Vehicle Exhaust: A Case for Policy Change
1/1/2006
Most people assume that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sufficiently protecting air quality by setting limits for chemicals released from vehicles, requiring newer engines to be less polluting, and restricting levels normally found in outdoor air. While the government monitors pollutants at fixed stations, these measurements bear little resemblance to the pollutiuon you and your family experience while moving through daily life. This report examines a variety of harmful effects from air pollution, including that caused by vehicle exhaust. The report focuses on Connecticut.
Authors: Wargo, J.; Wargo, L.; Alderman, N; Brown, D. R.
