UPS CNG Truck Fleet Final Data Report DOE/NREL Truck Evaluation Project
10/1/2001
This is the final data report for the United Parcel Service compressed natural gas (CNG) truck fleet evaluation project in which selected Freightliner CNG delivery vehicles were evaluated as part of the DOE/NREL study. The plan for this evaluation was to test up to 15 CNG package cars and three diesel package cars operating in the Hartford, Connecticut, area from UPS's Waterbury, Hartford, and Windsor facilities. The trucks were all Freighliner Custom Chassis built with Cummins engines. The diesel vehicles had B5.9 engines, and the CNG vehicles had B5.9G engines. The data collection for the DOE/NREL program required a minimum of 12 months of operations data. Based on the age of the CNG and diesel package vehicles (model year 1997) and UPS's extensive data tracking system, the actual evaluation provided here was chosen to be a two-year data evaluation period.
UPS CNG Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project
8/1/2001
UPS currently operates 140 Freightliner Custom Chassis compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles with Cummins B5.9G engines. Fifteen are participating in the Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Transportation Technologies and the Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is conducting the study in collaboration with federal and state agencies and industry partners such as UPS.
Future U.S. Highway Energy Use: A Fifty Year Perspective
5/3/2001
The U.S. Transportation system as a whole and the highway mode in particular will be much different in the year 2050 compared to today. The type and number of vehicles in use and the fuels employed to power them are unknown. Yet planning for the future requires acting on the information at hand: assessing the implications of the current path and the potential benefit of alternative futures. This paper puts transportation energy issues into a long-run perspective so that informed planning can begin early enough to make a decisive difference. This paper examines the global oil supply and demand over the next 50 years to show that a transition away from conventional oil will begin. The analysis reviews the energy, economic, and environmental implications of the alternatives that are available to meet some of the anticipated gap between world conventional oil production and the liquid fuels required to support a growing world economy. This paper then describes several U.S. Transportation technology strategies with a range of efficiency improvements and fuel substitutions, and calculates their first order effects on energy use, petroleum consumption, and carbon emissions over a 50-year time horizon.
Authors: Birky, A.; Greene, D.; Gross, T.; Hamilton, D.; Heitner, K.; Johnson, L.; Maples, J.; Moore, J.; Patterson, P.; Plotkin, S.; Stodolsky, F.
Notes: This report is available on the Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT) Web site at http://www.ott.doe.gov/facts/publications/hwyfuture.pdf
SuperShuttle CNG Fleet Study Summary
3/1/2001
In March 1999, the Office of Technology Utilization's Field Operations Program began a fleet evaluation of CNG vans in the SuperShuttle fleet in Boulder, Colorado. The results for the evaluation were positive and the fleet is considering adding more alternative fuel vehicles in the future. This fact sheet summarizes the details of the study.
Authors: Eudy, L.
State Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentives: A Decade and More of Lessons Learned
2/1/2001
This report assesses the effectiveness of state incentives and suggests incentives that might encourage new vehicle technologies. It does not assess whether a state should promote alternative fuel vehicles or whether such vehicles are the most effective means to reduce air pollution. Rather, the analysis analyzes the effectiveness of state incentives of the past decade and describes the characteristics of effective alternative fuel vehicle incentives and the fiscal implications for a state that is committed to support an effective alternative fuel vehicle program.
Authors: Brown, M.;Breckenridge, L.
Airport-based Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fleets
2/1/2001
Airport-based Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fleets describes why the Airport 'niche market' is uniquely suited for the use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. Learn why ground support equipment and landside vehicles make such good candidates for alternative fuel use and how airports such as Denver International, LAX, and Boston's Logan have been successful in implementing AFVs.
Waste Management LNG Truck Fleet Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project: Final Results
1/1/2001
Waste Management, Inc. a private company based in Houston, Texas, began operating a fleet of heavy-duty refuse trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) at it Washington, Pennsylvania facility in 1997. Waste Management currently operates seven LNG refuse trucks at that site. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies sponsored a research project to collect and analyze data on the performance and operation costs of five Waste Management's LNG trucks in commercial service, for comparison with data on the performance of three diesel trucks operating on similar routes. This report presents an evaluation of five of the first seven LNG trucks produced by Mack. Mack partnered with Waste Management in Washington, Pennsylvania, to field test its natural gas engine design and gain experience.
Authors: Norton, P.;Chandler, K.;Clark, N.
SuperShuttle CNG Fleet Evaluation: Final Report
10/1/2000
SuperShuttle originated in Los Angeles in 1983 as a shuttle service that focused on shared ride door-to-door airport passenger service. The company currently services 23 airports, with 1,000 vehicles transporting more than 20,000 passengers each day. SuperShuttle has been operating in Colorado since mid 1996, serving the local community and Denver International Airport (DIA). Their fleet of 85 vehicles includes 18 AFVs, fueled by both liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG). For this project, data was collected from 13 passenger vans operating in the Boulder/Denver, Colorado, area. The study vehicles were all 1999 Ford E-350 passenger vans based at SuperShuttle's Boulder location. Five of the vans were dedicated CNG, five were bi-fuel CNG/gasoline, and three were standard gasoline vans that were used for comparison.
Authors: Eudy, L.
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.
Analysis of Technology Options to Reduce the Fuel Consumption of Idling Trucks
6/1/2000
Long-haul trucks idling overnight consume more than 838 million gallons (20 million barrels) of fuel annually. Idling also emits pollutants. Truck drivers idle their engines primarily to heat or cool the cab and/or sleeper, keep the fuel warm in winter, and keep the engine warm in the winter so that the engine is easier to start. Alternatives to overnight idling could save much of this fuel, reduce emissions, and cut operating costs. Several fuel-efficient alternatives to idling are available to provide heating and cooling: direct-fire heater for cab/sleeper heating, with or without storage cooling; auxiliary power units; and truck stop electrification. Many of these technologies have drawbacks that limit market acceptance. Options that supply electricity are economically viable for trucks that are idled for 1,000-3,000 or more hours a year, while heater units could be used across the board. Payback times for fleets, which would receive quantity discounts on the prices, would be somewhat shorter.
Authors: Stodolsky, F.;Gaines, L.;Vyas, A.