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BC Transit Fuel Cell Bus Project: Evaluation Results Report
2/12/2014
This report evaluates a fuel cell electric bus demonstration led by British Columbia Transit (BC Transit) in Whistler, Canada. BC Transit is collaborating 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. This evaluation report covers two years of revenue service data on the buses from April 2011 through March 2013.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.
Fuel Cell Buses in U.S. Transit Fleets: Current Status 2013
2/12/2014
This report is the seventh in an annual series of reports that summarize the progress of fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) development in the United States and discuss the achievements and challenges of introducing fuel cell propulsion in transit. The report also provides a snapshot of current FCEB performance results from August 2012 through July 2013 for five FCEB demonstrations at four transit agencies.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Gikakis, C.
FY 2013 Progress Report for Fuel & Lubricant Technologies
2/1/2014
The Fuel & Lubricant Technologies 2013 Annual Progress Report discusses the potential benefits of advanced fuel and lubricant technologies including energy security, environmental sustainability and economic improvement.
Case Study - Compressed Natural Gas Refuse Fleets
2/1/2014
This case study explores the use of heavy-duty refuse trucks fueled by compressed natural gas highlighting three fleets from very different types of organizations.
Authors: Laughlin, M; Burnham, A.
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.
Emissions and Performance Benchmarking of a Prototype Dimethyl Ether-Fueled Heavy-Duty Truck
1/1/2014
In cooperation with Volvo, ORNL commissioned the benchmarking of the emissions and performance data from a heavy-duty truck with a prototype engine fueled with dimethyl ether (DME). The tests demonstrated the near-term viability of DME in heavy-duty applications. The truck performed well under real-world driving conditions and emissions were within the targeted emission standards.
Authors: Szybist, J.P.; McLaughlin, S.; Iyer, S.
Well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol from corn, sugarcane and cellulosic biomass for US use
12/13/2013
Globally, bioethanol is the largest volume biofuel used in the transportation sector, with corn-based ethanol production occurring mostly in the US and sugarcane-based ethanol production occurring mostly in Brazil. Advances in technology and the resulting improved productivity in corn and sugarcane farming and ethanol conversion, together with biofuel policies, have contributed to the significant expansion of ethanol production in the past 20 years. These improvements have increased the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of using bioethanol as opposed to using petroleum gasoline. This article presents results from our most recently updated simulations of energy use and GHG emissions that result from using bioethanol made from several feedstocks. The results were generated with the GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) model. In particular, based on a consistent and systematic model platform, we estimate life-cycle energy consumption and GHG emissions from using ethanol produced from five feedstocks: corn, sugarcane, corn stover, switchgrass and miscanthus. We quantitatively address the impacts of a few critical factors that affect life-cycle GHG emissions from bioethanol. Even when the highly debated land use change GHG emissions are included, changing from corn to sugarcane and then to cellulosic biomass helps to significantly increase the reductions in energy use and GHG emissions from using bioethanol. Relative to petroleum gasoline, ethanol from corn, sugarcane, corn stover, switchgrass and miscanthus can reduce life-cycle GHG emissions by 19–48%, 40–62%, 90–103%, 77–97% and 101–115%, respectively. Similar trends have been found with regard to fossil energy benefits for the five bioethanol pathways.
Authors: Wang, M.; Han, J.; Dunn, J.B.; Cai, H.; Elgowainy, A.
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.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October, 2013
12/3/2013
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for October 2013 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 4, 2013 and October 18, 2013, 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 1 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has decreased 20 cents from $3.65 to $3.45; diesel remained the same at $3.91; CNG price has decreased 5 cents, from $2.14 to $2.09; ethanol (E85) has decreased 19 cents from $3.23 to $3.04; propane increased 23 cents from $2.73 to $2.96; and biodiesel (B20) has increased 13 cents from $3.89 to $4.02.
According to Table 2, CNG is about $1.36 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about $0.22 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Needs Assessment for Alternative Fuel Vehicle Training in California
12/1/2013
This report details the availability of safety and technical training in alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) for emergency personnel and transportation fleet staff in California and provides recommendations to improve it. AFVs, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas and biofuel vehicles, offer low emissions and fuel cost savings, but also present safety and technical issues unique to their technologies. Federal, state and local government energy and environmental policies have lead California to be at the forefront of AFV deployment, so it is imperative that first responders and fleet technicians know how to handle fuels, fueling and emergencies without harm. Projections of AFV deployment in California show dramatic growth. Safety and technical training for AFV fleet staff and emergency personnel is essential as this transportation market grows in California.
Review and Evaluation of Studies on the Use of E15 in Light-Duty Vehicles
10/1/2013
The objective of this study is to review and evaluate research conducted to date applicable to the effects of E15 on Model Year 2001 and newer cars, and to draw objective conclusions based on the entire available dataset. The project team reviewed 43 studies relevant to E15 usage in 2001 and newer model year on-highway automobiles.
Authors: McCormick, R.L., Yanowitz, J., Ratcliff, M., Zigler, B.T.
