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.
Status and Prospects of the Global Automotive Fuel Cell Industry and Plans for Deployment of Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure
7/1/2013
Automobile manufacturers leading the development of mass-market fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) were interviewed in Japan, Korea, Germany and the United States. There is general agreement that the performance of FCVs with respect to durability, cold start, packaging, acceleration, refueling time and range has progressed to the point where vehicles that could be brought to market in 2015 will satisfy customer expectations. However, cost and the lack of refueling infrastructure remain significant barriers. Costs have been dramatically reduced over the past decade, yet are still about twice what appears to be needed for sustainable market success. While all four countries have plans for the early deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, the roles of government, industry and the public in creating a viable hydrogen refueling infrastructure remain unresolved. The existence of an adequate refueling infrastructure and supporting government policies are likely to be the critical factors that determine when and where hydrogen FCVs are brought to market.
Authors: Greene, D.L.; Duleep , G.
FY 2012 Progress Report for Fuel & Lubricant Technologies
6/21/2013
The Fuel & Lubricant Technologies 2012 Annual Progress Report discusses the potential benefits of advanced fuel and lubricant technologies including energy security, environmental sustainability and economic improvement.
Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities
6/12/2013
This report discusses the challenges facing widespread adoption of PEVs from both transportation and utility sector perspectives. It explains the importance of addressing those challenges and presents recommendations to achieve that end.
Authors: Khan, S., Kushler, M.
Notes: This copyrighted document can be downloaded from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy website.
Moving Together in the 21st Century: How Ridesharing Supports Livable Communities
6/1/2013
This white paper is a follow-up to the Volpe Center report for FHWA, "Ridesharing Options Analysis and Practitioners' Toolkit." The white paper provides an update to current ridesharing options and further explores technology and policy developments that make new methods of ridesharing possible. In addition, the report assesses ridesharing as a key contributing factor to supporting livable communities, and in particular, how ridesharing can be part of a "tipping point" in reducing the need for vehicle ownership and demand for parking.
Authors: Kay, M.; McCoy, K.; Lyons, W.M.
Case Study - Liquefied Natural Gas
6/1/2013
As a part of the U.S. Department of Energy's broad effort to develop cleaner transportation technologies that reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil, this study examines advanced 2011 natural gas fueled trucks using liquefied natural gas (LNG) replacing older diesel fueled trucks. The trucks are used 6 days per week in regional city-to-landfill long hauls of incinerator waste with two fills per day. This is a workable fit for the limited range LNG trucks. Reduction of fuel costs and harmful emissions relative to the replaced trucks are significant.
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.
Impact of Fuel Metal Impurities on the Durability of a Light-Duty Diesel Aftertreatment System
4/8/2013
Alkali and alkaline earth metal impurities found in diesel fuels are potential poisons for diesel exhaust catalysts. A set of diesel engine production exhaust systems was aged to 150,000 miles. These exhaust systems included a diesel oxidation catalyst, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, and diesel particulate filter (DPF). Four separate exhaust systems were aged, each with a different fuel: ultralow sulfur diesel containing no measureable metals, B20 (a common biodiesel blend) containing sodium, B20 containing potassium, and B20 containing calcium, which were selected to simulate the maximum allowable levels in B100 according to ASTM D6751. Analysis included Federal Test Procedure emissions testing, bench-flow reactor testing of catalyst cores, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and measurement of thermo-mechanical properties of the DPFs. EPMA imaging found that the sodium and potassium penetrated into the washcoat, while calcium remained on the surface. Bench-flow reactor experiments were used to measure the standard nitrogen oxide (NOx) conversion, ammonia storage, and ammonia oxidation for each of the aged SCR catalysts. Vehicle emissions tests were conducted with each of the aged catalyst systems using a chassis dynamometer. The vehicle successfully passed the 0.2 gram/mile NOx emission standard with each of the four aged exhaust systems.
Authors: Williams, A.; Burton, J.; McCormick, R. L.; Toops, T.; Wereszczak, A. A.; Fox, E. E.; Lance, M. J.; Cavataio, G.; Dobson, D.; Warner, J.; Brezny, R.; Nguyen, K.; Brookshear, D. W.
Notes: Posted with permission. Presented at the SAE 2013 World Congress and Exhibition, 16-18 April 2013, Detroit, Michigan.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April, 2013
4/1/2013
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 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 March 29, 2013 and April 12, 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 increased 30 cents from $3.29 to $3.59; diesel has increased 3 cents from $3.96 to $3.99; CNG price is unchanged, remaining $2.10; ethanol (E85) has increase 13 cents from $3.17 to $3.30; propane has increased 5 cents from $2.68 to $2.73; and biodiesel (B20) has increased 6 cents from $4.05 to $4.11.
According to Table 2, CNG is about $1.49 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about $1.07 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Babcock, S.
Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Gas Production: Technology, Impacts, and Policy
4/1/2013
Hydraulic fracturing is a key technique that has enabled the economic production of natural gas from shale deposits, or plays. The development of large-scale shale gas production is changing the U.S. energy market, generating expanded interest in the usage of natural gas in sectors such as electricity generation and transportation. At the same time, there is much uncertainty of the environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing and the rapid expansion of natural gas production from shale plays. The goal of this white paper is to explain the technologies involved in shale gas production, the potential impacts of shale gas production, and the practices and policies currently being developed and implemented to mitigate these impacts.
Authors: Clark, C.; Burnham, A.; Harto, C.; and Horner, R.
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.
A Culture of Corporate Stewardship: Global Leader Encourages Sustainability
3/1/2013
From energy efficiency to longer-lasting materials and products, Pentair, a global leader in pool and spa innovation, is seeking new directions in corporate environmental stewardship. The company has adopted a sustainability culture supporting innovative solutions to today's environmental challenges. When approached by employees at Pentair's manufacturing facility in Sanford, N.C. with the idea of providing plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging stations for employee use, Pentair embraced the idea and demonstrated that employees, even those with longer-than-average commutes, could contribute to emissions reductions and decreased petroleum use through use of electric fuel.
Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future
3/1/2013
Freight transportation demand is projected to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040, and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050. This report describes the current and future demand for freight transportation in terms of tons and ton-miles of commodities moved by truck, rail, water, pipeline, and air freight carriers. It outlines the economic, logistics, transportation, and policy and regulatory factors that shape freight demand, the trends and 2050 outlook for these factors, and their anticipated effect on freight demand. After describing federal policy actions that could influence future freight demand, the report then summarizes the capabilities of available analytical models for forecasting freight demand. This is one in a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency effort to pinpoint underexplored strategies for reducing GHGs and petroleum dependence related to transportation.
Authors: Grenzeback, L. R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M. J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C. R.; Pei, Y. L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A. D.; Winebrake, J. J.