EPAct State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleet Compliance Methods
3/25/2014
Fact sheet outlines the state and alternative fuel provider fleet compliance options. Under Standard Compliance, covered fleets must acquire a certain percentage of AFVs each year based on the number of light-duty vehicles they purchase. Alternative Compliance allows covered fleets to obtain a waiver from Standard Compliance to implement petroleum reduction measures in their vehicle fleets in lieu of the AFV acquisition requirements.
Transitioning to Electric Drive Vehicles: Public Policy Implications of Uncertainty, Network Externalities,Tipping Points and Imperfect Markets
1/17/2014
As a follow up to a 2013 report, Analyzing the Transition to Electric Drive in California, this report provides additional analyses regarding the transition to electric drive light-duty vehicles in California and other states that have adopted California's zero emission vehicle standards. In particular, this study estimates the effects of technological and market uncertainty as well as the timing and intensity of policies on electric vehicle development. The analyses in this report were carried out using the Light-duty Alternative Vehicles and Energy Transitions (LAVE-Trans) model.
Authors: Greene, D.L.; Park, S.; Liu, C.
Clean Cities 2012 Annual Metrics Report
12/5/2013
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities program advances the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to cut petroleum use in transportation. A national network of nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions brings together stakeholders in the public and private sectors to deploy alternative and renewable fuels, idle-reduction measures, fuel economy improvements, and new transportation technologies, as they emerge.
Each year DOE asks Clean Cities coordinators to submit annual reports of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Data and information are submitted via an online database that is maintained as part of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Coordinators submit a range of data that characterizes the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions. They also submit data about sales of alternative fuels, deployment of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), idle-reduction initiatives, fuel economy activities, and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). NREL analyzes the data and translates them into petroleum-use reduction impacts, which are summarized in this report.
Authors: Johnson, C.
Best Practices for Workplace Charging
9/1/2013
This document is a resource for employers and employees interested in launching a workplace charging program at their place of business.
Notes: This publication is copyrighted by Calstart and is accessed at on the Calstart publications page.
A Roadmap to Climate-Friendly Cars: 2013
9/1/2013
An electric car is only as good for the climate as the electricity used to power it. And in states that rely heavily on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas for their electricity there are many conventional and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that are better for the climate than all-electric cars today.
But that is just part of the story. Another critical factor is the carbon emissions generated when a car is manufactured. Emissions from producing the battery and other electrical components create a 10,000 to 40,000-pound carbon debt for electric cars that can only be overcome after tens, or even hundreds of thousands of miles of driving and recharging from clean energy sources.
This comprehensive state-by-state analysis of the climate impacts of the electric car, plug-in hybrid electrics, and high-mileage, gas-powered hybrid cars takes both of these factors into account - the source of energy used to power the car and carbon emissions from vehicle manufacturing.
Authors: Yawitz, D.; Kenward, A.; Larson, D.
Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Workplace Charging Hosts
8/1/2013
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have immense potential for increasing the country's energy, economic, and environmental security, and they will play a key role in the future of U.S. transportation. By providing PEV charging at the workplace, employers are perfectly positioned to contribute to and benefit from the electrification of transportation. This handbook answers basic questions about PEVs and charging equipment, helps employers assess whether to offer workplace charging for employees, and outlines important steps for implementation.
Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Different Light-Duty Vehicle and Fuel Pathways: A Synthesis of Recent Research
7/19/2013
Transitioning to a cleaner fleet of advanced vehicles powered by electricity, hydrogen, and advanced biofuels or petroleum products can yield a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption. A meaningful assessment of the comparative merits of these alternate fuel pathways requires a solid understanding of their technological potential to reduce emissions. Available studies evaluating full lifecycle emissions rely on various assumptions of that potential and yield a wide range of results. This brief summarizes and synthesizes the results of several recent studies and presents the full range of greenhouse gas emission estimates for each type of advanced vehicle and fuel. It also explains the reasons these estimates vary so widely and identifies opportunities for future analyses that use a consistent set of scenarios with transparent assumptions in order to compare the greenhouse gas impacts of fuel and vehicle pathways.
Authors: Nigro, N.; Jiang, S.
EVSP Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles, Version 2.0
5/13/2013
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) convened the Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (ANSI EVSP or "the Panel") to assess the standards and conformance programs needed to facilitate the safe, mass deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure in the United States. The decision to form the Panel was made at a meeting of key stakeholders in March 2011 which ANSI convened in response to suggestions that the U.S. standardization community needed a more coordinated approach to keep pace with electric vehicle initiatives moving forward in other parts of the world. This effort draws upon participants from the automotive, utilities, and electrotechnical sectors as well as from standards developing organizations (SDOs or "developers") and government agencies.
Analyzing the Transition to Electric Drive in California
4/23/2013
This report assesses the transition to electric drive vehicles under six alternative scenarios in California and other states that have adopted California's zero emission vehicle standards. Specifically, the report estimates the costs and benefits, barriers, and effects of public policies on the transition to electric drive light-duty vehicles. The analyses in this report were constructed using the Light-duty Alternative Vehicles and Energy Transitions (LAVE-Trans) model.
Authors: Greene, D.L.; Park, S.; Liu, C.
Transportation Energy Futures Series: Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Expansion: Costs, Resources, Production Capacity, and Retail Availability for Low-Carbon Scenarios.
4/1/2013
Achieving the Department of Energy target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 depends on transportation-related strategies combining technology innovation, market adoption, and changes in consumer behavior. This study examines expanding low-carbon transportation fuel infrastructure to achieve deep GHG emissions reductions, with an emphasis on fuel production facilities and retail components serving light-duty vehicles. Three distinct low-carbon fuel supply scenarios are examined: Portfolio: Successful deployment of a range of advanced vehicle and fuel technologies; Combustion: Market dominance by hybridized internal combustion engine vehicles fueled by advanced biofuels and natural gas; Electrification: Market dominance by electric drive vehicles in the LDV sector, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles, that are fueled by low-carbon electricity and hydrogen. A range of possible low-carbon fuel demand outcomes are explored in terms of the scale and scope of infrastructure expansion requirements and evaluated based on fuel costs, energy resource utilization, fuel production infrastructure expansion, and retail infrastructure expansion for LDVs. This is one of a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency project initiated to pinpoint underexplored transportation-related strategies for abating GHGs and reducing petroleum dependence.
Authors: Melaina, M. W.; Heath, G.; Sandor, D.; Steward, D.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Warner, E.; Webster, K. W.
Linking Corporate Sustainability Goals Beyond Direct Business Inputs And Outputs
3/1/2013
In today's corporate world, many businesses are tying their environmental impact and sustainability goals to current business measures. Some have established carbon offset goals, some have instituted process improvements to lessen their impact on the environment, and many are encouraging their employees to "be green." In Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Biogen Idec is taking their sustainability goals beyond direct inputs and outputs by determining how a new technology - unrelated to core business - can be employed to further corporate environmental sustainability efforts.