Publications

Electrification Futures Study: Scenarios of Power System Evolution and Infrastructure Development for the United States

1/1/2021

This report is the fifth publication in a series of Electrification Futures Study (EFS) publications. The report presents scenarios of the U.S. electricity and energy systems through 2050. The scenarios encompass a wide range of future conditions, including the different electrification levels that were developed for the second EFS report. The scenario results include projected changes to the physical infrastructure of the U.S. power system, the utilization of that infrastructure, and estimates of other impacts of electrification to the power system and broader energy system.

Authors: Murphy, C.; Mai, T.; Sun, Y.; Jadun, P.; Muratori, M.; Nelson, B.; Jones, R.

Model Year 2021: Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles

1/1/2021

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

State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleets: Fleet Compliance Annual Report - Model Year 2019, Fiscal Year 2020

12/15/2020

This annual report of the Alternative Fuel Transportation Program, which ensures compliance with DOE regulations covering state government and alternative fuel provider fleets pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), as amended, provides fleet compliance results for manufacturing year 2019/fiscal year 2020.

Developing Markets for Zero Emission Vehicles in Short Haul Goods Movement

12/10/2020

This report examines the potential market share for electric heavy duty trucks (EHDTs) via simulation modeling, case studies, interviews, and a survey. It assesses the impacts of EHDTs on freight operations. Additionally, it compares the costs and benefits of using diesel, natural gas hybrid, and all-electric vehicles for 2020, 2025, and 2030. Lastly, this report presents recommendations for promoting and increasing the market share of EHDTs and hybrids.

Authors: Giuliano, G., Dessouky, M., Dexter, S., Fang, J., Hu, S., Steimetz, S.

Notes:

This copyrighted publication can be accessed through the University of California, Davis National Center for Sustainable Transportation website.

Accelerating Ride-Hailing Electrification: Challenges, Benefits, and Options for State Action

12/2/2020

In the United States, use of ride-hailing services has grown at a steep rate over the last decade, and this trend is expected to continue. A rapid transition in ride-hailing fleets from internal combustion engine vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) would reduce pollution, increase consumer exposure to PEVs, deliver maintenance and fuel cost savings to drivers, and improve the business case for fast charging infrastructure by increasing utilization. This paper identifies the benefits and challenges associated with switching vehicles driving on transportation network company platforms to PEVs and recommends specific actions states can take to support and accelerate the switch.

Authors: Hunt, J.; McKearnan, S.

Affordability of Household Transportation Fuel Costs by Region and Socioeconomic Factors

12/1/2020

Transportation energy is an important component of household budgets. Vehicle fuel is over 3% of total household expenditures nationwide in the United States. The average annual expenditure of over $2,000 for vehicle fuel (mostly gasoline) is comparable to the total average household expenditures for electricity and natural gas combined. However, these average values vary geographically, and lower income households can face higher energy cost burdens. This study reveals the variation of household energy burdens across the country and provides localized data to support local decision making.

Authors: Zhou, Y.; Aeschliman, S.; Gohlke, D.

Florida Electric Vehicle Roadmap

12/1/2020

In May 2019, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Energy began working on a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) roadmap for the state of Florida. This roadmap provides a comprehensive investigation into the status and needs of PEV charging infrastructure in Florida for the following three to four years. This roadmap identifies PEV charging infrastructure impacts on the electric grid, solutions for any negative impacts, areas that lack PEV charging infrastructure, best practices for siting PEV charging stations, and technical or regulatory barriers to expansion of PEV charging infrastructure. It also provides recommendations that address permitting, emergency evacuation needs, and education.

Authors: Smith Burk, K.; Groover Combs, A.; Kettles, D.; Reed, K.

Making Sense of Heavy-Duty Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tractors

12/1/2020

Hydrogen fuel cells are proposed as a viable alternative to today’s diesel engines. The technology is evolving rapidly for heavy-duty tractors hauling freight in dry van and refrigerated trailers. A handful of prototypes are in testing today in North America, while limited production units are entering commercial service in Europe. This report provides an unbiased view of the potential for hydrogen fuel cell tractors, identifying where and why they make sense in the mix of future solutions.

Notes:

This copyrighted publication can be accessed through North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s website.

Assessing the Potential for Low-Carbon Fuel Standards as a Mode of EV Support

12/1/2020

Low-carbon fuel standards (LCFS), which regulate the carbon intensity of fuels supplied to transportation, can provide long-term, durable funding for plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure and PEV purchasing incentives as other policies such as rebates expire or are phased-down. This study assesses the role that a national LCFS program can play in accelerating the rate of light-duty passenger PEV and charging infrastructure deployment.

Authors: Kelly, C.: Pavlenko, N.

Electrification Assessment of Public Vehicles in Washington

11/30/2020

Washington State is positioned to cost effectively electrify nearly all public vehicles by the year 2035. With near-term policy action and targeted investments in infrastructure, the state can accelerate ongoing efforts to advance electric vehicles (EVs) and solidify its leadership position in the EV market in the United States. This assessment evaluates the electrification potential for all publicly owned vehicles in the State of Washington. It provides Washington with comprehensive, vehicle-specific electrification cost estimates both today and in the future along with actionable information on how to efficiently move forward with fleet electrification.

Authors: Satterfield, C.; Nigro, N.; Wood, E.; Jensen, J.; Smith, C.; Desai, R.; Lepre, N.; Ge, Y.

Federal Best Practices: Core Principles of Sustainable Fleet Management

11/2/2020

This document is designed to help agency fleet managers understand and implement optimal petroleum reduction strategies for each fleet location by evaluating the most appropriate combination of the four core principles of innovative fleet management: right-sizing the fleet to agency mission by implementing a vehicle allocation methodology study; minimizing vehicle miles traveled; increasing fleet fuel efficiency by replacing inefficient vehicles with more fuel-efficient vehicles, maintaining vehicles, driving more efficiently, and avoiding excessive idling; and optimizing cost-effective alternative fuel use, including maximizing use of existing alternative fuel infrastructure, installing alternative fuel infrastructure where practical (including electric vehicle charging stations), and aligning deployment of alternative fuel vehicles with fueling infrastructure.

Authors: Bentley, J.; Hodge, C.

Federal Workplace Charging Program Guide

11/2/2020

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorizes the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment for the purpose of charging privately owned vehicles (POVs) under the custody or control of the General Services Administration or other federal agencies. It requires the collection of fees to recover the costs of installing, operating, and maintaining this equipment and imposes reporting requirements. This model program guide reviews those requirements and describes when and how fees may be required to cover costs of electricity, network costs, EV charging equipment, and installations in various scenarios. This model program guide is designed to support federal agencies developing and refining workplace charging programs for employee POVs.

Fleet-Wide Electrification Impacts Assessment for the Valley Transportation Authority

11/1/2020

This report explores the long-term electrification opportunities for the Valley Transit Authority’s (VTA) transit bus fleet. It also explores the potential for transit bus electrification at VTA as well as the economic impacts of partial and complete electrification. Further, the report includes the optimal charging, operation and lowest capital and operating cost solution to achieve different levels of electrification to meet VTA’s existing routes.

Authors: Eichman, J.; Kotz, A.; Miller, E.; Kelly, K.; Ficenec, K.

Summary Report on Electric Vehicles at Scale and the U.S. Electric Power System

11/1/2020

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can meet U.S. personal transportation needs using domestic energy resources while at the same time offering air quality benefits. However, wide scale light-duty PEV adoption will necessitate assessment of and possibly modification to the U.S. electric power generation and distribution systems. This report gauges the sufficiency of both energy generation and generation capacity in the U.S. electric power system to accommodate the growing fleet of light duty PEVs.

Electrifying Freight: Pathways to Accelerating the Transition

11/1/2020

The U.S. economy is heavily dependent on the functionality of our freight and goods transportation services. Road freight transportation in the United States is projected to grow steadily in the coming decades, and electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as a clean and cost-effective alternative. This report outlines the benefits of electric trucks, explains the major barriers impeding their production, sales, and deployment, and establishes the next steps that manufacturers, policymakers, fleet operators, and other stakeholders should take to facilitate and accelerate freight electrification.

Authors: Buholtz, T.; Burger, A.; Gander, S.; Nelson, B.; Prochazka, B.; Swalnick, N