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On the Road in 2020: A Life-cycle Analysis of New Automobile Technologies
10/1/2000
This report is a description of work done at MIT during the past two years to assess technologies for new passenger cars that could be developed and commercialized by the year 2020. The report does not make predictions about which technologies will be developed nor judgments about which technologies should be developedissues for the marketplace and for public policy that are not examined here.
The primary motivation for this study was the desire to assess new automobile technologies which have the potential to function with lower emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) widely believed to contribute to global warming. The GHG of most concern here is carbon dioxide (CO2), but methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) can also be important. If public policy or market forces result in constraints on GHG emissions, automobiles and other light-duty vehiclesa key part of the transportation sectorwill be candidates for those constraints since the transportation sector accounts for about 30% of all CO2 emissions in OECD countries, and about 20% worldwide.
Notes: Copies of this document can be downloaded from the MIT Laboratory for Energy and Environment Web site at: http://lfee.mit.edu/publications/PDF/el00-003.pdf.
Waste Management LNG Truck Fleet Final Data Report
8/1/2000
Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the largest waste management service company in North America. This report addresses activities at one of Waste Management's facilities in Washington, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. This site has been operating seven heavy duty LNG refuse trucks (Mack trucks with E7G engines) with the first LNG truck starting operation in August 1997. The following document describes the results of data collection and evaluation of five of the seven heavy-duty LNG refuse trucks compared to three similar heavy-duty diesel refuse trucks operating in the Washington, Pennsylvania area.
Heavy-Duty Truck Demonstration with a 400-HP DDC Series 60G LNG Engine, and Support for the Downtown Los Angeles LNG Station
6/9/2000
The Trucking industry has taken an active interest in the use of engines powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce NOx and PM emissions. However, major barriers exist to widespread use of LNG in trucking applications, including reduced performance and higher initial capital costs compared to diesel-fueled vehicles, as well as a limited fueling infrastructure. To help address these barriers, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, joined with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)to contract with a team led by the San Jose Transportation Technology Group of ARCADIS Geraghty & Miller. The focus of the contract was to upgrade a Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) Series 60G (S60G) engine for increased power and torque, and demonstrate this engine in an LNG-fueled semi-tractor.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report
5/1/2000
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report provides regional alternative and conventional fuel prices for biodiesel, compressed natural gas, ethanol, hydrogen, propane, gasoline, and diesel. The Alternative Fuel Price Report is a snapshot in time of retail fuel prices. Alternative fuel fleets can obtain significantly lower fuel prices than those reported by entering into contracts directly with local fuel suppliers.
Limited Progress in Acquiring Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Reaching Fuel Goals
2/1/2000
with the first deadline approaching for EPAct's petroleum replacement goals the GAO was asked to review progress towards achieving EPACT goals. gao was asked to determine the progress made in acquiring alternative fuel vehicles and using altnerative fuels to meeting the act's fuel replacement goals. Also, GAO determined the impediments to using alternative fuel vehicles and the measures that can be taken to address those impediments in order to reach the act's replacement goals.
Alternative Fuel Case Study: UPS Delivers with Alternative Fuels
8/1/1999
This four-page fact sheet discusses how the United Parcel Service has integrated alternative fuel vehicles, specifically CNG vehicles, into their fleets. UPS has operated its service with many different kinds of AFVs since the early 1930s. The fact sheet also discusses the different types of alternative fuels and the types of AFVs UPS has incorporated into their fleets.
Authors: Whalen, M.
Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Real-World Perspectives from the Federal Fleet
7/1/1998
Vehicles that run onfuels other than gasoline, or "alternative fuel" vehicles (AFVs), offer great promise for improving air quality and lessening our nation's dependence on imported oil. But if they are to fulfill this promise and replace traditional gasoline vehicles on a large scale, they must meed the needs of the people using them, and consumers must have access to"real-world" information about them. Do they drive as well as gasoline vehicles? Are their refueling stations as convenient as the corner gas station? Can we expect the same reliability that we've come to expect from our gasoline vehicles? How better to answer these questions than to ask the people who are actually running the AFVs? So in 1996, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national labortory, designed a nationwide study to capture the opinions of federal fleet managers and drivers onthe performance, reliability, driveability, and acceptability of AFVs. NREL put together this short brochure to serve as a "quick look" summaryof the surveys and their results.
Authors: Whalen, P
Revision to Addendum to Mobile Source Enforcement Memorandum 1A
6/1/1998
The purpose of this document is to revise the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Addendum to Mobile Source Enforcement Memorandum 1A policy for motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines originally designed to operate on gasoline or diesel fuel and subsequently modified to operate exclusively or in conjunction with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or propane).
Using CNG Trucks in National Parks
5/1/1998
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has successfully introduced cleaner-burning alternative fuel (in particular, compressed natural gas, or CNG) transit vehicles, such as refuse haulers electric trams, to relieve traffic congestion and help to protect the National Park System's (NPS) natural resources and historic sites. As part of this effort, NPS and DOI are working with DOE to implement alternative fuels in heavy trucks to attain goals of environmental sustainability and efficient operation. This report outlines the steps required to put CNG trucks in operation in the NPS fleet.
