National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap
11/1/2002
Hydrogen holds the potential to provide a clean, reliable, and affordable energy supply that can enhance America's economy, environment, and security. This Roadmap provides a blueprint for the coordinated, long-term, public, and private efforts required for hydrogen energy development.
Fuel Choices for Fuel-Cell Vehicles: Well-to-Wheels Energy and Emission Impacts
10/24/2002
Because of their high energy efficiencies and low emissions, fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) are undergoing extensive research and development. While hydrogen will likely be the ultimate fuel to power fuel-cell vehicles, because of current infrastructure constraints, hydrogen-carrying fuels are being investigated as transitional fuel-cell fuels. A complete well-to-wheels (WTW) evaluation of fuel-cell vehicle energy and emission effects that examines (1) energy feedstock recovery and transportation; (2) fuel production, transportation, and distribution; and (3) vehicle operation must be conducted to assist decision makers in selecting the fuel-cell fuels that achieve the greatest energy and emission benefits.
A fuel-cycle model developed at Argonne National Laboratory—called the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model—was used to evaluate well-to-wheels energy and emission impacts of various fuel-cell fuels. The results show that different fuel-cell fuels can have significantly different energy and greenhouse gas emission effects. Therefore, if fuel-cell vehicles are to achieve the envisioned energy and emission reduction benefits, pathways for producing the fuels that power them must be carefully examined.
Authors: Michael Wang
General Evaluation Plan: Fleet Test & Evaluation Projects
7/1/2002
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Fleet Test and Evaluation (FT&E) team was formed to accomplish the objectives of U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) current and emerging programs. Composed of NREL and Battelle personnel, the team supports vehicle test project initiated by DOE's Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies (OFCVT) and the Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (OHFCIT). FT&E projects help fleet owners and operators facilitate purchase decisions by providing them with comprehensive laboratory and fleet test data on viable alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and advanced technology vehicles (ATVs). ATVs include hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles.
National Energy Policy: Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group
5/16/2001
This overview sets forth the National Energy Policy Development (NEPD) Group's findings and key recommendations for a National Energy Policy.
Notes: Hard copies of this document are for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Web site: http://bookstore.gpo.gov. Contact the U.S. Government Printing Office by phone: (202) 512-1800 or fax: (202) 512-2250
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
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Evaluation
4/1/2001
This report describes the hydrogen fuel cell bus evaluation project that is underway at SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California on a bus equipped with an XCELLSiS Phase 4 fuel cell engine. The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with transit agencies and other partners to determine the test and evaluation protocols needed to advance implementation of these new technologies, as well as to document the necessary modifications to the transit agencies' maintenance and operation infrastructure. By evaluating SunLine, an 'early adopter' of the technology, NREL will develop and carry out a test plan for evaluating the fuel cell buses, the hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and maintenance facilities. This paper describes the prototype bus, fueling infrastructure, and maintenance facility at SunLine and begins the process of determining what is needed to evaluate and characterize the bus' performance in service.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Parish, R.; Leonard, J.
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.
The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Summary of Analysis Projects 1994 - 2000
1/1/2001
The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program has funded a wide variety of analysis projects in support of its mission to conduct research and engineering development for the purpose of making hydrogen a cost-effective energy carrier for utility, buildings, and transportation applications. The goal of the analyses is to provide direction, focus, and support to the development and introduction of hydrogen through evaluation of the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of hydrogen technologies. This document contains summaries of 76 reports or publications of analysis work funded by the Hydrogen Program form 1994 through 2000. The purpose of this work is to help determine areas of focus for future analyses and also to provide a quick reference for studies already completed.
Authors: Ogden, J.;Strohbehn, J.;Dennis, E.
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.
Cost Analysis of Fuel Cell System for Transportation: Baseline System Cost Estimate
3/1/2000
This 65-page report summarizes the results of a Department of Energy-funded assessment of the cost of a 50 kW fuel cell system for transportation including a multi-fuel capable reformer, a PEM fuel cell, and balance-of-plant components. The assessment program was supported by the system modeling group within Argonne National Laboratory.
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.
Perspectives on AFVs: State and City Government Fleet Manager Survey
2/1/1999
In an effort to reduce national dependence on imported oil and to improve urban air quality, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is promoting the development and deployment of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). To support this activity, DOE has directed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop and conduct projects to evaluate the performance and acceptability of light-duty AFVs compared to similar gasoline vehicles. As part of this effort, NREL has undertaken a number of evaluation projects, including conducting telephone surveys with fleet managers and drivers of AFVs in the federal fleet. This report summarizes the results of the survey of state and city government fleet managers.
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