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Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends from the Alternative Fueling Station Locator: Third Quarter 2020
5/1/2021
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator contains information on public and private non-residential alternative fueling stations in the United States and Canada and currently tracks ethanol (E85), biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electric vehicle (EV) charging, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, and propane stations. Of these fuels, EV charging continues to experience rapidly changing technology and growing infrastructure. This report provides a snapshot of the state of EV charging infrastructure in the United States in the third calendar quarter of 2020. Using data from the Station Locator, this report breaks down the growth of public and private charging infrastructure by charging level, network, and location. Additionally, this report measures the current state of charging infrastructure compared with the amount projected to meet charging demand by 2030. This information is intended to help transportation planners, policymakers, researchers, infrastructure developers, and others understand the rapidly changing landscape for EV charging.
Authors: Brown, A.; Lommele, S.; Schayowitz, A.; Klotz, E.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2021
4/23/2021
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 2021 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 January 1, 2021 and January 15, 2021, 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 14 cents from $2.18 to $2.32; diesel increased 24 cents from $2.40 to $2.64; CNG increased 1 cent from $2.18 to $2.19; ethanol (E85) increased 8 cents from $1.96 to $2.04; propane increased 12 cents from $2.73 to $2.85; and biodiesel (B20) increased 13 cents from $2.29 to $2.42.
According to Table 3, CNG is 13 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.33 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Electrifying Transit: A Guidebook for Implementing BEBs
4/20/2021
The use of battery electric bus (BEBs) fleets is becoming more attractive to cities seeking to reduce emissions and traffic congestion. While BEB fleets may provide benefits such as lower fuel and maintenance costs, improved performance, lower emissions, and energy security, many challenges need to be overcome to support BEB deployment. These include upfront cost premiums, planning burdens, BEB range, and unfamiliarity with BEB technology. To assist stakeholders with interest in deploying BEBs, this guidebook describes the decisions and considerations required for successful BEB implementation.
Authors: Aamodt, A.; Cory, K.; Coney, K.
Comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership Quantification for Vehicles with Different Size Classes and Powertrains
4/1/2021
In order to accurately compare the costs of two vehicles, the total cost of ownership (TCO) should consist of all costs related to both purchasing and operating the vehicle. This TCO analysis builds on previous work to provide a comprehensive perspective of all relevant vehicle costs of ownership. This study considers vehicle cost and depreciation, financing, fuel costs, insurance costs, maintenance and repair costs, taxes and fees, and other operational costs to formulate a holistic total cost of ownership and operation of light- and heavy-duty vehicles. For each of the cost parameters, researchers performed extensive literature review and data analysis to find representative values to build a holistic TCO for vehicles of all size classes.
Authors: Burnham, A.; Gohlke, D.; Rush, L.; Stephens, T.; Zhou, Y.; Delucchi, M.; Birky, A.; Hunter, C.; Lin, Z.; Ou, S.; Xie, F.; Proctor, C,; Wiryadinata, S.; Liu, N.; Boloor, M.
Charging Station Design Guidance Toolbox
4/1/2021
This resource provides information collected by the Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization on electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment to assist municipal fleet and facility managers with vehicle electrification. It provides an overview of EV charger types, key considerations to selecting EV charging equipment, and recommendations for EV charging equipment placement and installation.
Funding Options for Low-Carbon Transportation Alternatives to The Federal Gasoline Tax
4/1/2021
This topic brief provides an overview of the problems with current mechanisms for funding sustainable transportation and explores other funding methods to support low-carbon transportation investment in the United States. In reviewing alternate transportation funding methods, this report considers each mechanism’s equity impacts, with a specific focus on transportation access and curbing the impacts of transportation-related air pollution, which disproportionately burden low-income communities.
Setting TNC Policies to Increase Sustainability
3/31/2021
Cities and states across the United States are assessing fees or taxes on transportation network company platforms, such as Uber and Lyft. The goals of these policies include traffic and emissions mitigation, as well as revenue generation, among other objectives. This research aims to assess the goals and effectiveness of these fees in achieving some of these policy objectives, primarily congestion and emissions mitigation. This study compares 21 fees implemented by state and local governments across the United States and applies a methodology to compare these diverse fees and taxes based on a hypothetical ride informed by Uber’s fare calculator, as well as other sources.
Authors: Fuller, S.; Kunz, T.; Brown, A.; D'Agostino, M.
Notes:
This copyrighted publication can be accessed on the University of California, Davis website.
Vehicle Fuel Economy and GHG Standards
3/22/2021
On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13990, “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis,” which directs federal agencies to review regulations and other agency actions from the Trump Administration, including the federal standards that regulate fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new passenger cars and light trucks. These standards include the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards promulgated by the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Light-Duty Vehicle GHG Emission Standards promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This document provides an overview of vehicle fuel economy and GHG standards.
Carbon Intensity of Corn Ethanol in the United States: State of the Science
3/10/2021
The carbon intensity of corn ethanol, the primary renewable fuel used in transportation, has been actively researched and quantified over the last three decades. Reliable estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for corn ethanol are important since these values help determine significant policy and market decisions on state, national, and international levels. This study reviews well-to-wheel GHG life cycle analyses for corn ethanol and evaluates models, input data, and results for farming, fuel production, co-product credit, land use change, transport of feedstock and fuel, tailpipe, and denaturant.
Authors: Scully, M.; Norris, G.; Falconi, T.; MacIntosh, D.
PTC and ITC for Aviation Fuel: Analysis Using the Biomass Scenario Model
3/5/2021
This analysis uses the Biomass Scenario Model, a system dynamics model of the bioenergy supply chain, to explore different scenarios of implementation of a production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC) for sustainable aviation fuel.
Authors: Newes, E.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Haq, Z.; Lindauer, A.
Livewire Data Platform A Catalog of Transportation and Mobility Data
3/3/2021
This fact sheet outlines the capabilities and core services of the Livewire Data Platform, a growing catalog of transportation and mobility-related data that empowers researchers and community planners to easily and securely share and preserve data that support projects and decision making.
Authors: Lauren Spath Luhring
Fuel Cell Buses in U.S. Transit Fleets: Current Status 2020
3/1/2021
This report, published annually, summarizes the progress of fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) development in the United States and discusses the achievements and challenges of introducing fuel cell propulsion in transit. The report provides a summary of results from evaluations performed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This annual status report combines results from all FCEB demonstrations, tracks the progress of the FCEB industry toward meeting technical targets, documents the lessons learned, and discusses the path forward for commercial viability of fuel cell technology for transit buses. The data from these early FCEB deployments funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, state agencies, and the private sector help to guide future early-stage research and development. The 2020 summary results primarily focus on the most recent year from January 2020 through July 2020.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.
Assessment of Prospective Mileage-Based Fee System to Replace Fuel Taxes for Passenger Vehicles in Pennsylvania
3/1/2021
Historically, transportation infrastructure in the United States has been funded through a per-gallon fuel tax levied at the state- and federal-levels. The federal fuel tax has remained constant over the last thirty years, even as road construction and maintenance costs have risen steeply in that time. This funding gap is widened by advances in hybrid and electric vehicle technology, which have significantly improved fleet fuel-economy and reduced revenue from fuel tax. To address this, an increasing number of jurisdictions are considering programs where vehicles are taxed per-mile traveled, rather than per-gallon of fuel consumed. These mileage-based user fees (MBUFs) could replace federal and state fuel taxes and reduce the deficit in transportation infrastructure funding. This report develops high-resolution estimates of annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per vehicle aggregated at the state, county, and zip code level. Based on these estimates of VMT and fuel economy, researchers estimate the annual cost to vehicle owners of the existing fuel tax, and compare this cost against the cost of MBUF’s, at various rates.
Authors: Matthews, H. S.; Fischbeck, P. S.; Yuan, C.; Fan, Z.; Lyu, L.; Acharya, P. S.
Case Study of the San Pedro Bay Ports’ Clean Air Action Plan 2006-2018: Best Practices and Lessons Learned
3/1/2021
The development and implementation of the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is a groundbreaking and ongoing project with significant environmental benefits. The CAAP can serve as a map for other port authorities considering their own air quality actions and near-port communities interested in promoting clean air programs. Although every port’s situation is unique, the objective of this case study is to highlight key CAAP history, programs, and lessons learned to serve as a building block.
