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U.S. Department of Energy's EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge, Progress Update 2014: Employers Take Charge
11/17/2014
Through the Workplace Charging Challenge, more than 150 partner organizations are accelerating the development of the nation's worksite PEV charging infrastructure and are supporting cleaner, more convenient transportation options within their communities. Challenge partners are currently providing access to PEV charging stations for more than 600,000 employees at more than 300 worksites across the country and are influencing countless other organizations to do the same.
Using Recent Land Use Changes to Validate Land Use Change Models
11/14/2014
Economics models used by California, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the EU Commission all predict significant emissions from conversion of land from forest and pasture to cropland in response to increased biofuel production. The models attrib-ute all supply response not captured by increased crop yields to land use conversion on the extensive margin. The dramatic increase in agricultural commodity prices since the mid-2000s seems ideally suited to test the reliability of these models by comparing actual land use changes that have occurred since the price increase to model predictions. Country-level data from FAOSTAT were used to measure land use changes. To smooth annual variations, changes in land use were measured as the change in average use across 2004 to 2006 compared to average use across 2010 to 2012. Separate measure-ments were made of changes in land use at the extensive margin, which involves bring-ing new land into agriculture, and changes in land use at the intensive margin, which includes increased double cropping, a reduction in unharvested land, a reduction in fallow land, and a reduction in temporary or mowed pasture. Changes in yield per harvested hectare were not considered in this study.
Authors: Babcock, B.A; Iqbal, Z.
PEV Outreach Resources for Your Employees
11/3/2014
After you've installed plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging stations at your work site, you'll want to educate your employees on why and how they can take advantage of this employee benefit. This collection of resources by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Workplace Charging Challenge provides tools, tips, and networks to support employer efforts to engage PEV- and non-PEV driving employees alike.
Authors: Workplace Charging Challenge
Progress Report: Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles - Version 2.0
11/3/2014
In January 2014, the American National Standards Institute Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (ANSI EVSP) resumed work to assess existing and needed standards and conformity assessment solutions to enable electric vehicles and charging infrastructure to be deployed throughout the United States. This report assesses progress to address the standardization gaps identified in the Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles - Version 2.0 (May 2013). It also includes updates on significant standardization activity related to the issues identified in the roadmap.
Geography of Existing and Potential Alternative Fuel Markets in the United States
11/3/2014
When deploying alternative fuels, it is paramount to match the right fuel with the right location, in accordance with local market conditions. We used six market indicators to evaluate the existing and potential regional market health for each of the five most commonly deployed alternative fuels: electricity (used by plug-in electric vehicles), biodiesel (blends of B20 and higher), E85 ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), and propane. Each market indicator was mapped, combined, and evaluated by industry experts. This process revealed the weight the market indicators should be given, with the proximity of fueling stations being the most important indicator, followed by alternative fuel vehicle density, gasoline prices, state incentives, nearby resources, and finally, environmental benefit. Though markets vary among states, no state received 'weak' potential for all five fuels, indicating that all states have an opportunity to use at least one alternative fuel. California, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington appear to have the best potential markets for alternative fuels in general, with each sporting strong markets for four of the fuels. Wyoming showed the least potential, with weak markets for all alternative fuels except for CNG, for which it has a patchy market. Of all the fuels, CNG is promising in the greatest number of states--largely because freight traffic provides potential demand for many far-reaching corridor markets and because the sources of CNG are so widespread geographically.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Hettinger, D.
ADA Requirements for Workplace Charging Installation
11/3/2014
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in public places against individuals with disabilities. As an employer installing plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging stations, also known as electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), you need to follow special design guidelines to accommodate people with disabilities, as required by the ADA.
Authors: Workplace Charging Challenge
Model Year 2015: Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles
10/30/2014
The fact sheet details the model, vehicle type, emission class, transmission type/speeds, engine size, and fuel economy of a variety of flexible fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, all-electric, and extended range electric vehicles, as well as CNG and propane vehicles.
Clean Cities 2013 Annual Metrics Report
10/20/2014
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy asks its Clean Cities program 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 characterize 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 (IR) 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 2013 Annual Metrics Report.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Singer, M.
National Clean Fleets Partnership
9/16/2014
Clean Cities' National Clean Fleets Partnership establishes strategic alliances with large fleets to help them explore and adopt alternative fuels and fuel economy measures to cut petroleum use. The initiative leverages the strength of nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions, nearly 18,000 stakeholders, and more than 20 years of experience. It provides fleets with top-level support, technical assistance, robust tools and resources, and public acknowledgement to help meet and celebrate fleets' petroleum-use reductions.
Transitioning the Transportation Sector: Exploring the Intersection of Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Natural Gas Vehicles
9/9/2014
On September 9, 2014, Sandia National Laboratories, American Gas Association, and Toyota, in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Cell Technologies and Vehicle Technologies Offices, convened stakeholders across the hydrogen and natural gas communities to consider opportunities and challenges at the intersection of their development as alternative transportation fuels. Although natural gas and hydrogen have an obvious intersection - natural gas is the feedstock for 95% of the hydrogen produced in the U.S. - little attention has been given to how these fuels can evolve in the context of each other. This workshop explored infrastructure requirements, regional trends, and market opportunities at the intersection of hydrogen fuel cell and natural gas use for on road transportation. The goal of the workshop was to provide background and context for thinking through the dynamic evolution of these two transportation options in tandem, and to identify opportunities that can support the synergistic development of both fuels.
Costs Associated with Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Fueling Infrastructure
9/9/2014
This document is designed to help fleets understand the cost factors associated with fueling infrastructure for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. It provides estimated cost ranges for various sizes and types of CNG fueling stations and an overview of factors that contribute to the total cost of an installed station. The information presented is based on input from professionals in the natural gas industry who design, sell equipment for, and/or own and operate CNG stations.
Authors: Smith, M.; Gonzales, J.
Distributed Solar Photovoltaics for Electric Vehicle Charging: Regulatory and Policy Considerations
9/1/2014
Increasing demand for EV charging provides an opportunity for market expansion of distributed solar technology. A major barrier to the current deployment of solar technology for EV charging is a lack of clear information for policymakers, utilities, and potential adopters. This paper introduces regulatory and policy options available to policymakers and regulators wanting to incentivize solar EV charging. Additionally, it summarizes considerations regarding EV charging during the day versus at night and benefits and grid implications of combining solar and EV charging technologies.
Authors: McLaren, J.
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office: Hydrogen Production
9/1/2014
This 2-page fact sheet provides a brief introduction to hydrogen production technologies. Intended for a non-technical audience, it explains how different resources and processes can be used to produce hydrogen. It includes an overview of research goals as well as "quick facts" about hydrogen energy resources and production technologies.
BC Transit Fuel Cell Bus Project Evaluation Results: Second Report
9/1/2014
This is the second report evaluating a fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) demonstration led by British Columbia Transit (BC Transit) in Whistler, Canada. The FCEB fleet was introduced during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and operated through March 2014. BC Transit collaborated with the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to evaluate the buses in revenue service. NREL published its first report on the demonstration in February 2014. This report is an update to the previous report; it covers 3 full years of revenue service data on the buses from April 2011 through March 2014 and focuses on the final experiences and lessons learned.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.
