Publications

Clean Cities: A Model of Collaborative Technology Innovation Built Over 30 Years

4/19/2023

The Clean Cities Coalition Network is an example of successful government-sponsored efforts to address challenges and facilitate collaborative governance across sectors and levels of government within the transportation sector. In 1993, under what is now the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established Clean Cities in response to a requirement in the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 to implement voluntary alternative fuel deployment activities.1 VTO’s Technology Integration Program is responsible for the Clean Cities Coalition Network and many other activities. DOE created a collaborative governance effort that has translated higher-level policy goals into multiple local collaborative practices for more than 30 years.

Authors: Romero-Lankao, P.; Rosner, N.; Reichelt, L.; Allerhand, J.

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2023

3/20/2023

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 2023 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, 2023 and January 15, 2023, 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 decreased 74 cents from $4.05 to $3.31; diesel decreased 59 cents from $5.17 to $4.58; CNG increased 37 cents from $2.88 to $3.25; ethanol (E85) decreased 41 cents from $3.18 to $2.77; propane increased 11 cents from $3.55 to $3.65; and biodiesel (B20) decreased 43 cents from $4.89 to $4.46.

According to Table 3, CNG is 6 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 29 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.

Authors: Bourbon, E.

Propane Fueling Infrastructure Trends: A Decade in Review

1/31/2023

This report provides information on propane fueling infrastructure and industry trends over the last 10 years. It is informed primarily by propane fueling station location data collected through the Alternative Fuels Data Center's Alternative Fueling Station Locator from 2011 through 2021. Industry stakeholders, including the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and other members of the Alternative Fuels Data Center Station Locator Propane Working Group, also provided data and additional context around trends seen in the data.

Authors: Brown, A.; Schayowitz, A..; White, E.; Carlson, D.

Clean Cities Coalitions 2021 Activity Report

1/24/2023

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) works with local Clean Cities coalitions across the country as part of its Technology Integration Program. These efforts help businesses and consumers make smarter and more informed transportation energy choices that can save energy, lower costs, provide resilience through fuel diversification, and reduce air emissions. This report summarizes the success and impact of coalition activities based on data and information provided in their annual progress reports.

Authors: Singer, M.; Johnson, C.; Wilson, A.

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2022

1/11/2023

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for October 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 October 1, 2022 and October 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 decreased 65 cents from $4.70 to $4.05; diesel decreased 47 cents from $5.64 to $5.17; CNG increased 12 cents from $2.76 to $2.88; ethanol (E85) decreased 75 cents from $3.93 to $3.18; propane decreased 24 cents from $3.79 to $3.55; and biodiesel (B20) decreased 45 cents from $5.34 to $4.89.

According to Table 3, CNG is $1.17 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 8 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.

Authors: Bourbon, E.

2022 Public Transportation Fact Book

1/1/2023

The Public Transportation Fact Book, published annually, contains national aggregate statistical data covering all aspects of the transit industry in the United States and Canada. Major sections include an overview of U.S. transit facts, transit finances and operating statistics by modes of travel, transit vehicle characteristics and deliveries, facts and numbers relating to federal grants and the Federal Transit Act.

Authors: Dickens, M.

Notes:

This copyrighted publication can be accessed on the American Public Transportation Association's website.

Model Year 2023: Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles

1/1/2023

This document lists the model, vehicle type, engine size, and fuel economy of a variety of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

Florida Alternative Transportation Fuel Resilience Plan

12/1/2022

Many counties and cities in Florida are developing resilience plans to help them minimize damage from hurricanes and accelerate recovery. Fuel diversification can add to Florida’s transportation resilience because if the supply of one fuel gets disrupted during a hurricane, there is a good chance that the supplies of other fuels are still available. The Florida Alternative Transportation Fuel Resilience Plan aims to address these factors and create a strategy for how three alternative fuels (natural gas, propane, and electricity) can best be employed to improve transportation resilience in Florida. It does this through a combination of literature review and stakeholder engagement for best practices, vehicle technology recommendations, the creation of three tools (with descriptions and brief guides included), and charting how stakeholders coordinate to overcome these hurdles.

Authors: Johnson, C.; Cappellucci, J.; Spath Luhring, L.; St. Louis-Sanchez, M.; Yang, F.; Brown, A.; Sipiora, A.; Kolpakov, A.; Li, X.; Li, Q.; White, S.; Gonzales, J.; Erin Nobler, E.; Wood, E.

NREL Fleet Analysis Support Through Technology Integration Collaboration

11/7/2022

This study leveraged the partnership between the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities Coalition Network and the Association for the Work Truck Industry (NTEA) to launch a vehicle and fleet analysis project that assisted fleets in identifying opportunities to save energy, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet environmental goals via short term data logging and analysis. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) sought to establish a process that included initial data acquisition, provided data storage, and developed analytic methods to inform fleets of areas of opportunity based on approximately 30 days of in use vehicle performance data. However, long-term the project will require ongoing funding to fully develop and maintain the data sharing platform and to produce more complex analysis.

Authors: Lynch, L.; Payne, G.

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2022

10/13/2022

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 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 July 1, 2022 and July 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 57 cents from $4.13 to $4.70; diesel increased 58 cents from $5.06 to $5.64; CNG increased 17 cents from $2.59 to $2.76; ethanol (E85) increased 39 cents from $3.54 to $3.93; propane increased 26 cents from $3.53 to $3.79; and biodiesel (B20) increased 72 cents from $4.62 to $5.34.

According to Table 3, CNG is $1.94 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 40 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.

Authors: Bourbon, E.

Techno-Economic, Feasibility, and Life Cycle Analysis of Renewable Propane: Final Report

10/1/2022

The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) has engaged with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop information that is critical to understanding the current and future landscape for renewable propane (RP) and the value proposition for recovery of RP from existing and planned HEFA biorefineries. In summary the following outcomes are identified from this study: (1) production of incremental RP by increasing the severity of the hydroisomerization step is insignificant to the overall propane yield from a HEFA biorefinery, however production of renewable butane (or LPG2) is quite significant thus suggesting alternate strategies for valorizing these fractions; (2) the value proposition for recovering RP and renewable LPG is quite strong, with capital recovery payback periods of 14 months for a small biorefinery producing 3.5 million gallons per year RP to as short as 2 months for a large biorefinery producing 87 million gallons per year RP. Paybacks for renewable LPG are as much as 50% shorter; and (3) current and projected expansions of renewable diesel will greatly expand the potential availability of RP as a by-product. Several promising new pathways are under development but will not significantly increase production of RP for the next decade.

Authors: Robert M. Baldwin, Mark R. Nimlos, and Yimin Zhang

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.

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2022

5/10/2022

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 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 January 1, 2022 and January 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 3 cents from $3.25 to $3.28; diesel increased 14 cents from $3.48 to $3.62; CNG increased 16 cents from $2.33 to $2.49; ethanol (E85) increased 24 cents from $2.73 to $2.97; propane increased 25 cents from $3.17 to $3.42; and biodiesel (B20) increased 13 cents from $3.29 to $3.42.

According to Table 3, CNG is 79 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 59 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.

Authors: Bourbon, E.

Cargo Handling Equipment at Ports

3/1/2022

Ports, critical to trade and economic vitality, depend on a wide range of vehicles and machinery to move goods. Historically, most port equipment has been powered by diesel, contributing to poor air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. Increasingly, however, port equipment is powered by less-polluting fuels, including electricity, CNG, LNG, and LPG. This fact sheet describes the specific types of cargo handling equipment, their functions, and the fuel types currently available to power them.

Authors: Andrew Burnham

Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 40

2/1/2022

The Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 40 is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest edition of the Data Book is available via the Internet (tedb.ornl.gov).

Authors: Davis, S.C.; Boundy, R.G.