Publications

Duluth Transit Authority Battery-Electric Bus Evaluation

9/1/2022

In 2018, Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) began operating a fleet of seven battery-electric buses (BEBs) in its service area of Duluth, Minnesota. DTA is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. The focus of the evaluation is to compare performance and cost of the BEBs to that of conventional technology in similar service and track progress over time. DTA enlisted the help of the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) to manage the project and provide technical services with the BEB fleet and infrastructure. This report contains a combination of analyses performed by NREL and by CTE.

Authors: Jeffers, M.; Eudy, L.; Bigelow, E.; Olberding, G.; Posner, A.

2022 Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment and Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development

9/1/2022

California's Assembly Bill 8 requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to assess the size of the current and future fuel cell electric vehicle fleet annually, based on vehicle registrations with the Department of Motor Vehicles, auto manufacturer responses to ARB surveys of projected future sales, and current and future hydrogen fuel station locations and capacity. This information informs the state’s decisions for future funding of hydrogen fuel stations, including the number and location of stations as well as minimum technical requirements for those stations.

Cracking the Code to EV Readiness in New Buildings

9/1/2022

While incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure have contributed to growth in EV adoption, building codes are effective tools to advance “EV-readiness” by requiring new construction to support convenient EV charging. This paper presents considerations, guidance, and examples for municipalities and other jurisdictions establishing policies for EV readiness in new buildings. It provides an introduction to EV readiness in building codes and discusses best practices in infrastructure development such as intelligent load sharing. It presents an overview of why and how EV readiness was incorporated into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Further, it includes case studies of municipal codes and a utility program that partners with builders to incentivize EV readiness in new homes. Finally, it summarizes key opportunities for advancing transportation electrification through EV-ready building codes.

Authors: Banwell, P.; Steiner, K.; Miller, K.; Kelly, E.; Kay, S.; Noblet, S.

Title Utility Transportation Electrification Planning— Emerging Practices to Support EV Deployment

9/1/2022

Utilities are expecting millions of new electric vehicles (EVs) to hit the road over the next decade. To accelerate and adapt to this shift, they are planning increased investments in the grid, greater outreach to customers, special rates for EV charging, and direct investments in transportation electrification (e.g., charging infrastructure and vehicle purchases). This report examines a select sample of utility transportation electrification planning efforts to identify emerging trends and make recommendations on the planning process.

Authors: Huether, P.; Cohn, C.; Jennings, B.

Design Recommendations for Accessible EV Charging Stations

8/11/2022

This technical assistance document covers Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) accessibility requirements applicable to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It provides multiple recommendations for designing accessible EV charging stations by offering guidance on elements not addressed in the current ADA and ABA. This technical assistance will aid in the development of a national network of EV charging stations that is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The technical assistance document is a valuable resource for those involved in the planning, designing, building, installing, and use of EV charging stations, including state and local governments, designers and developers, electrical and construction professionals, equipment manufacturers, automakers, utility providers, charge point operators and e-mobility service providers, EV owners, and people with disabilities.

Ethanol Blends: Providing a Renewable Fuel Choice

8/10/2022

More than 21 million vehicles on U.S. roads are flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs). These vehicles can operate on either gasoline or blends of gasoline and ethanol up to E85 (a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol). As a renewable fuel, ethanol offers significant advantages. It is produced predominantly in the United States, made from home-grown feedstocks, and burns cleaner than gasoline.

U.S. Renewable Diesel Fuel and Other Biofuels Plant Production Capacity

8/8/2022

This report is intended to measure estimated gallons of renewable diesel fuel, renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha and gasoline, and other biofuels (excluding fuel ethanol and biodiesel) and biointermediates that a plant is capable of producing over a period of one year (365 consecutive days) starting on the first day of each report month.

Authors: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Grand Teton National Park Federal Fleet Tiger Team EVSE Site Assessment

8/1/2022

In developing and implementing federal electric vehicle (EV) fleet strategy, agencies should focus on evaluating EV deployment opportunities at individual fleet locations, which have unique site, vehicle operating, and utility service characteristics. This is best achieved through site assessments to evaluate opportunities for EV acquisitions, identify optimal EV candidates, and determine optimal electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) deployment strategies. This site report supports the development of an EV deployment plan for the Grand Teton National Park that can ultimately be incorporated into the overall U.S. Department of the Interior EV fleet strategy.

Authors: Boyce, L; Bennett, J; Desai, R

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Fifth Report to Congress: Highlights of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program

8/1/2022

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Transportation and Air Quality administers the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. EPA awarded the first DERA grants in 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants in 2009, and grants from funds appropriated in Fiscal Years (FY) 2009 through 2018. This Fifth Report to Congress summarizes final results from FY 2008-2018.

The Automated Mobility District Implementation Catalog, 2nd Edition

8/1/2022

The first edition of the Automated Mobility District Implementation Catalog was published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to document insights gained from monitoring 10 early deployment sites of automated vehicle (AV) technology. Since the publishing of the first edition, NREL has tracked the effects the 2020 pandemic and the progress of the demonstration pilot projects beyond the initial deployment phase has generated important new information. The objective of this second edition is to provide an update to the status of the 10 early deployment sites to assess common trends of technology development and deployment. Drawing from that new insight, this report documents the natural maturing of the AV technology industry. This second edition reports on the framework of “cardinal principles” that the research team has defined for the safest and most efficient application of AV technology in managed fleet deployment within automated mobility districts of the future.

Authors: Young, S.; Lott, J.

Electric Vehicle Charger Deployment Optimization

8/1/2022

As consumers begin to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) in greater volumes, the need for charging stations will increase. A one-size-fits-all deployment strategy of EV charging stations will not satisfy all needs or economic considerations. This study investigates how many charging stations and outlets may be required at various stages of the EV market development in different regions of the United States to satisfy actual demand and to instill within end users the confidence that availability will be sufficient. In addition, this study aims to better understand what types of chargers will be required at different locations to optimize deployment while reducing overall infrastructure costs and accelerating the business case for charger installation.

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April 2022

6/28/2022

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 2022 is a quarterly report on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue describes prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between April 1, 2022 and April 15, 2022, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.

Table 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 85 cents from $3.28 to $4.13; diesel increased by $1.44 from $3.62 to $5.06; CNG increased 10 cents from $2.49 to $2.59; ethanol (E85) increased 57 cents from $2.97 to $3.54; propane increased 11 cents from $3.42 to $3.53; and biodiesel (B20) increased by $1.20 from $3.42 to $4.62.

According to Table 3, CNG is $1.54 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 47 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.

Authors: Bourbon, E.

Community Impacts: Accessible Electric Vehicle Carshare Programs

6/6/2022

Having abundant and affordable access to transportation affects an individual’s ability to live a healthy and fulfilling life. To date, a majority of carshare models have been implemented in urban, affluent areas, and have not focused on electric vehicles (EVs). A variety of EV carshare programs were evaluated with the goal of identifying and understanding best practices and challenges associated with implementing these programs in underserved locations, specifically in low-income and rural areas. This paper shares the design and results to date of several of these programs, as well as a framework for designing a carshare program.

Authors: Herman, C.

Electric School Bus U.S. Market Study and Buyers Guide

6/1/2022

This guide offers school districts and others an overview of the electric school bus market. It presents electric school bus models available today with detailed vehicle specifications allowing users to compare various models and weigh important considerations.

Authors: Huntington, A.; Wang, J.; Burgoyne-Allen, P.; Werthmann, E.; Jackson, E.

Mini Guide on Transportation Electrification: State-Level Roles and Collaboration among Public Utility Commissions, State Energy Offices, and Departments of Transportation

6/1/2022

Many states across the country have set ambitious electric vehicle (EV) adoption goals and are working to establish policies and programs to support transportation electrification. State energy offices, public utility commissions, and departments of transportation, among other important state-level partners each have a unique and vital role to support EV rollout. This guide explores roles among state agencies and partners in planning and implementing EV charging infrastructure. This mini guide is part of a series that features collaborative approaches, lessons learned, and interviews with leading state and local decision makers.

Authors: Dixon, D.; Powers, C.; McAdams, J.; Stephens, S.; Sass Byrnett. D.; Peters, D.