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Fuel Cell Buses in U.S. Transit Fleets: Current Status 2016
12/1/2016
This report, published annually, summarizes the progress of fuel cell electric bus 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 National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Funding for this effort is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration. The 2016 summary results primarily focus on the most recent year for each demonstration, from August 2015 through July 2016. The results for these buses account for more than 550,000 miles traveled and 59,500 hours of fuel cell power system operation. The primary results presented in the report are from three demonstrations of two different fuel-cell-dominant bus designs: Zero Emission Bay Area Demonstration Group led by Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) in California; American Fuel Cell Bus Project at SunLine Transit Agency in California; and American Fuel Cell Bus Project at the University of California at Irvine.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.; Jeffers, M.
Estimated Bounds and Important Factors for Fuel Use and Consumer Costs of Connected and Automated Vehicles
11/1/2016
This report details a study of the potential effects of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle fuel efficiency, and consumer costs. Related analyses focused on a range of light-duty CAV technologies in conventional powertrain vehicles -- from partial automation to full automation, with and without ridesharing -- compared to today's base-case scenario. Analysis results revealed widely disparate upper- and lower-bound estimates for fuel use and VMT, ranging from a tripling of fuel use to decreasing light-duty fuel use to below 40% of today's level. This wide range reflects uncertainties in the ways that CAV technologies can influence vehicle efficiency and use through changes in vehicle designs, driving habits, and travel behavior. The report further identifies the most significant potential impacting factors, the largest areas of uncertainty, and where further research is particularly needed.
Authors: Stephens, T.S.; Gonder, J.; Chen, Y.; Lin, Z.; Liu, C.; Gohlke, D.
Protecting Public Health: Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging and the Healthcare Industry
10/10/2016
In 2014, the U.S. transportation sector consumed more than 13 million barrels of petroleum a day, approximately 70% of all domestic petroleum consumption. Internal combustion engine vehicles are major sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs), smog-forming compounds, particulate matter, and other air pollutants. Widespread use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles, including plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), can reduce our national dependence on petroleum and decrease the emissions that impact our air quality and public health. Healthcare organizations are major employers and community leaders that are committed to public wellbeing and are often early adopters of employer best practices. A growing number of hospitals are offering PEV charging stations for employees to help promote driving electric vehicles, reduce their carbon footprint, and improve local air quality.
Authors: Lommele, S.; Ryder, C.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Clean Cities Project Awards
10/3/2016
Each Clean Cities project award under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a diverse group of stakeholders who worked together to lay the foundation for their communities to adopt alternative fuels and petroleum reduction strategies. This document provides a snapshot of the impact of each project and highlights the partners and Clean Cities coalitions who helped transform local and regional transportation markets through 25 projects impacting 45 states.
Authors: Kelly, K.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2016
9/19/2016
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2016 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, 2016 and July 15, 2016, 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 20 cents from $2.06 to $2.26; diesel increased 33 cents from $2.13 to $2.46; CNG price increased 3 cents from $2.02 to $2.05; ethanol (E85) increased 15 cents from $1.84 to $1.99; propane decreased 1 cent from $2.77 to $2.76; and biodiesel (B20) has increased 31 cents from $2.23 to 2.54.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.21 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.33 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Fleets Run Cleaner on Natural Gas; Emissions and Environmental Benefits of Natural Gas Vehicle
9/16/2016
Lower greenhouse gas and environmental related emissions are priorities for shippers, trucking fleets, municipal refuse vehicles and transit buses across the country. Natural gas provides clear advantages among alternative transportation fuels. This fact sheet explains the emission and environmental benefits associated with CNG and LNG, as well as the technical reasons behind the calculations and inputs that were chosen.
Sample Employee Survey for Workplace Charging Planning
8/29/2016
Employers considering whether workplace charging is right for their organization or employers considering how many plug-in electric vehicle charging stations to install will want to start by assessing employee demand. Partners in the Workplace Charging Challenge set a minimum goal of providing charging access for a portion of PEV-driving employees and a best practice goal of meeting all PEV-driving employee demand. This sample employee survey will help employers to assess interest in workplace charging, and determine the appropriate type and amount of charging stations to install.
Authors: Committee, N.
The Growing Presence of Propane in Pupil Transportation
8/2/2016
School districts all over the United States are turning to propane autogas to fuel their buses. In 2014, an estimated 7,000 propane autogas buses drove a half a million students to school in 45 states. This white paper highlights the added safety from the quieter propane engine, the environmental benefits from propane, and the reduced total cost of ownership of owning a propane bus.
Case Study: Natural Gas Regional Transport Trucks
8/1/2016
Learn about Ryder System, Inc.'s experience in deploying nearly 200 CNG and LNG heavy-duty trucks and construction and operation of L/CNG stations using ARRA funds. Using natural gas in its fleet, Ryder mitigated the effects of volatile fuel pricing and reduced lifecycle GHGs by 20% and petroleum by 99%.
Authors: Laughlin, M.; Burnham, A.
Level 1 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at the Workplace
7/1/2016
Level 1 charging (110-120 V) can be a good fit for many workplace charging programs. For electric vehicles typically purchased by most employees, Level 1 charging often has sufficient power to fully restore vehicle driving range during work hours.
Authors: Smith, M.
Utilities Power Change: Engaging Commercial Customers in Workplace Charging
6/29/2016
As stewards of an electric grid that is available almost anywhere people park, utilities that support workplace charging are uniquely positioned to help their commercial customers be a part of the rapidly expanding network of charging infrastructure. Utilities understand the distinctive challenges of their customers, have access to technical information about electrical infrastructure, and have deep experience modeling and managing demand for electricity. This case study highlights the experiences of two utilities with workplace charging programs.
Authors: Lommele, S.; Dafoe, W.
