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BAE/Orion Hybrid Electric Buses at New York City Transit
1/1/2008
This report is part of a series of evaluation from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) at NREL. The role of AVTA is to bridge the gap between research and development and the commercial availability for advanced vehicle technologies that reduce petroleum use while meeting air quality standards.
DOE/NREL evaluated the original 10 prototype diesel-hybrid buses from Orion and BAE Systems operated by the New York City Transit Co. (NYCT) The next report focused on 10 new compressed natural gas (CNG) and 10 next generation diesel hybrid electric buses. In the present evaluation, the focus is on hybrid-electric transit buses (equipped with BAE Systems' HybriDrive propulsion system) purchased by NYCT in an order group of 200 (Gen II), and their performance during their first year of service.
Authors: Barnitt, R.
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.
SunLine Transit Agency Hydrogen-Powered Transit Buses: Preliminary Evaluation Results
2/1/2007
This preliminary report covers NREL's evaluation of hydrogen and fuel cell buses in service at SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California. The report includes 11 months of performance data on two hydrogen-fueled buses: one fuel cell bus and one hybrid hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine bus. The report also outlines the overall experience of the transit agency and its project partners in demonstrating these buses.
Authors: Chandler, K.; Eudy, L.
The Long-Run Impact of Corn-Based Ethanol on the Grain, Oilseed, and Livestock Sectors: A Preliminary Assessment
11/1/2006
The ongoing growth of corn-based ethanol production raises some fundamental questions about the impact of continued growth on U.S. and world agricultural markets. Estimates of the long-run potential for ethanol production can be made by calculating the corn price at which the incentive to expand ethanol production disappears. Under current ethanol tax policy, if the prices of crude oil, natural gas, and distillers grains stay at current levels, then the break-even corn price is $4.05 per bushel.At this price, corn-based ethanol production would reach 31.5 billion gallons per year, or about 20% of projected U.S. fuel consumption in 2015. Supporting this level of production would require 95.6 million acres of corn to be planted. Total corn production would be approximately 15.6 billion bushels, compared to 11.0 billion bushels today. Most of the additional corn acres come from reduced soybean acreage. Corn exports and production of pork and poultry would all be reduced in response to higher corn prices and increased utilization of corn by ethanol plants. These results are not to be viewed as a prediction of what will eventually happen. Rather, they indicate a logical end point to the current incentives to invest in corn-based ethanol plants.
Authors: Elobeid, A.; Tokgoz, S.; Hayes, D.J.; Babcock, B.A.; Hart, C.E.
US10 Capable Prototype Volvo MG11 Natural Gas Engine Development: Final Report
10/1/2006
This project was designed to develop a low emissions natural gas engine. The emission targets for this project were 0.27 g/kW-hr (0.2 g/bhp-hr) of NOx and 0.013 g/kW-hr (0.01 g/bhp-hr) of particulate matter. To meet the objective, a chemically correct (stoichiometric) combustion, natural gas engine with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and a three-way catalyst was development. In addition to low emissions, diesel-like efficiencies were targeted trough the use of a Sturman camless Hydraulic Actuated Valve (HVA) system.
Authors: Tai, C.; Reppert, T.; Chiu, J.; Christensen, L.; Knoll, K.; Stewart, J.
Designing New Transit Bus Garages to be Fuel Flexible
5/12/2006
The basic differences between the properties of gaseous and liquid fuels influence building design requirements for transit bus garages. Leaks, flammability range, and ignition temperatures must be considered when designing the structure, utilities, ventilation, and safety equipment.
Authors: Adams, R.
Ten Years of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Operations at SunLine Transit Agency, April 2003 - December 2004
1/1/2006
SunLine Transit Agency operating in and around Palm Springs, California, started operation of compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses in 1994 by converting its entire operating fleet to CNG overnight. Now, more than 10 years later, SunLine is still committed to CNG transit bus operations as well as testing other future technologies. The objective of this report is to capture some of the lessons learned and experiences gained at SunLine over the past 10 years.
Authors: Chandler, K.
FAA Inherently Low Emission Airport Vehicle Pilot Program
1/1/2006
This document is the Federal Aviation Administration's final report for the Inherently Low Emissions Airport Vehicle Pilot Program (ILEAV). The report describes the current level of ILEAV project activity based on information provided by participating airport sponsors in their progress reports of Sept. 30, 2005. The ILEAV program produced a total investment of over $14 million in airport low-emission technology, including federal grant and local matching contributions. The lessons learned from the ILEAV program have been valuable to the FAA and its development of new air quality initiatives.
Heavy-Duty Waste Hauler with Chemically Correct Natural Gas Engine Diluted with EGR and Using a Three-Way Catalyst
9/1/2005
NREL and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) through separate agreements are funding a program with Mack Trucks Inc. to develop the next generation heavy-duty natural gas engine to be installed in a refuse hauler. Mack and Southwest Research Institute developed the E7G 12-liter lean burn natural gas engine to operate with stoichiometric (chemically correct) combustion and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). This engine was coupled to a three-way catalyst for reducing emissions. The objective of the project is to develop a natural gas engine with nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions of 0.5 g/bhp-hr and 0.01 g/bhp-hr respectively with the use of a three-way catalyst.
Authors: Reppert, T.; Chiu, J.
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.
Biomethane from Dairy Waste: A Sourcebook for the Production and Use of Renewable Natural Gas in California
7/1/2005
This report examines the feasibility of producing biomethane from dairy manure. We investigated a number of possible technologies for producing renewable forms of energy and fuel from dairy wastes as well as applications and markets for these products. Although some of the applications proved to be technically or economically infeasible at this time, we believe that the information gathered could prove useful for other investigators or future studies. With this in mind, we designed this sourcebook for readers and investigators interested in exploring alternate uses of biogas created from dairy wastes.
Authors: Krich, K.; Augenstein, D.; Batmale, J.P.; Benemann, J.; Rutledge, B.; Salour, D.; Wright, J., Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, California State University, Fresno, CA
