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Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2008
9/1/2009
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asks Clean Cities coordinators to submit an annual report of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Approximately 412 million gallons of gasoline were displaced through the Clean Cities efforts in 2008?14% more than in 2007. This displacement represents the combined results of the activities reported by coalitions (as analyzed by NREL) and the impacts of the Fuel Economy Guide and related activities (as estimated by ORNL). Three major changes were made to the Clean Cities survey this year: E10 is no longer counted toward petroleum displacement goals, coordinators no longer relied on a default assumption for the percent of time flex-fueled vehicles used alternative fuel, and B20 was moved from the AFV to the blends category. The first of these changes substantially reduced the reported petroleum displacement by blends from what they otherwise would have been in 2008. AFVs still accounted for the largest share (48%) of the total 412-million-gallon displacement. Fuel economy impacts (combined impacts of coalition and ORNL activity) were responsible for displacing 129 million gallons. The use of biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) as fuels for AFVs and in low-level biodiesel blends displaced 100 million gallons, or 24% of the total, and idle reduction and HEV technologies combined to displace 20 million gallons. 2008 was the first year that greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions were estimated for Clean Cities activities. The program kept a total of 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from being emitted to the atmosphere?the equivalent of removing over 507,000 passenger cars from U.S. roads.
Authors: Bergeron, P.; Johnson, C.
Field Testing Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles with Charge Control Technology in the Xcel Energy Territory
8/1/2009
This report outlines the results of a joint study by Xcel Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to understand the fuel displacement potential, costs, and emissions impacts of the market introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The goal of the current effort was to evaluate, under real-world conditions, the performance attributes of PHEVs with charge control technology in the Xcel Energy service territories. The intention was to expand our knowledge of PHEV benefits, consumer usage, and utility opportunities and challenges.
Authors: Markel, T.; Bennion, K; Kramer, W.; Bryan, J.; Giedd, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2009
7/1/2009
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2009 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 20 and July 31, 2009, 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 for regular gasoline has risen 42 cents per gallon from $2.02 per gallon to $2.44 per gallon; CNG has risen 9 cents from $1.64 to $1.73; and ethanol (E85) has risen 25 cents from $1.88 to $2.13 per gallon. CNG is about 71 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 31 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Lessons Learned during Creation of the I-65 Biofuels Corridor
6/1/2009
This report summarizes lessons learned in the process of creating the I-65 biofuel corridor. Lessons included: (1) strong partners lead to great projects; (2)communicate early and often; (3) if you advertise, they will come; (4)be prepared and be flexible; (5) big events attract big media coverage.
Biodiesel Clears the Air in Underground Mines
6/1/2009
Biodiesel has many advantages over petroleum diesel for people who live and work aboveground, but it is even more beneficial for those working underground. Because it produces less particulates when it burns, biodiesel fuel protects miners and helps mine operators meet air-quality standards.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April 2009
5/1/2009
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 2009 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 April 1 and April 15, 2009, 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 for regular gasoline has risen 16 cents per gallon from $1.86 per gallon to $2.02 per gallon; CNG has risen one cent from $1.63 to $1.64; and ethanol (E85) has risen 7 cents from $1.81 to $1.88 per gallon. CNG is about 38 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 63 cents more per gallon than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Impact of Ethanol Use on Food Prices and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
4/8/2009
The production and use of ethanol in the U.S. have been steadily increasing since 2001, boosted in part by production subsidies. That growth has exerted upward pressure on the price of corn and, ultimately, on the retail price of food, affecting both individual consumers and federal expenditures on nutritional support programs. It has also raised questions about the environmental consequences of replacing gasoline with ethanol. This analysis examines the relationship between increasing production of ethanol and rising prices for food. It estimated how much of the rise in food prices between 4/07 and 4/08 was due to an increase on the production of ethanol and how much that increase in prices might raise federal expenditure on food assistance programs.
Authors: Gecan, R.; Johansson, R.; FitzGerald, K.
Hybrid Taxis Give Fuel Economy a Lift
4/1/2009
Clean Cities helped Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Antonio, Texas, create hybrid taxi programs that cut gasoline use and air pollution while pleasing drivers and passengers alike.
Compendium of Regulatory Language of U.S. Idle Ordinances and Laws
2/1/2009
Beginning with EPA's model state idling law, this document presents the regulatory language for all known city, county, multi-jurisdictional, and statewide idle laws across the United States. The regulatory language presented represents idle laws as incorporated by the controlling authorityat the time of collation. These laws vary in their prescribed maximum idle times, number and type of exceptions, and geographic scope. They are presented so that an interested party can use these laws to help guide creation of idle laws that suit their area. Pdf includes an interactive contents page to direct reader to state and city.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2009
2/1/2009
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 2009 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 January 12 and January 30, 2009, 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 for regular gasoline has dropped $1.18 from $3.04 per gallon to $1.86 per gallon; CNG has dropped 37 cents from $2.01 to $1.63; and ethanol (E85) has dropped $1.01 from $2.82 to $1.81 per gallon. CNG is about 23 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 5 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Hydrogen Production Roadmap: Technology Pathways to the Future
1/1/2009
This Hydrogen Production roadmap was constructed by the Hydrogen Production Technical Team (HPTT) of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership to identify the key challenges and priority research and development (R&D) needs associated with various hydrogen fuel production technologies.
The goal of the roadmap is to facilitate development of commercial hydrogen production via various technology pathways in the near and long term. DOE?s current hydrogen cost targets are $3.00 per gallon of gasoline equivalent3 (gge) at fueling stations and $2.00 per gge at a central facility (also known as the ?plant? gate).
CNG Fuel System Inspector Study Guide
1/1/2009
The CSA test contains approximately sixty multiple choice questions. There may be additional test questions included that are for evaluation purposes only and will not be part of the final scoring. The questions are based on expert opinions from a cross section of the CNG industry after consideration of the skills and knowledge that a minimally qualified applicant should have. They are taken in proportion to their importance from a carefully constructed set of objectives or tasks that inspectors would be expected to perform.
In preparation for taking the exam, you should first evaluate yourself against these objectives. Honestly consider if you are confident that you know each specific task listed in the following Task List. Note the percentage of questions you can expect in each category and check Yes (Y) or No (N) as you grade yourself. This will form the basis for any additional study you need prior to taking the test.
Authors: Horne, D.
School Bus Idling Reduction: Project Report and Implementation Guide for Oklahoma School Districts
1/1/2009
School bus idling wastes fuel and financial resources while producing exhaust emissions that are harmful to human health and the environment. Beginning in late 2006, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, Choctaw-Nicoma Park Public Schools, and the Oklahomas Department of Environmental Quality undertook a two-year project to determine the extend of fuel and emissions savings that Oklahoma school district might expect by instituting a maximum five-minute school bus idling policy. This report offers the study's findings to public school districts in Oklahoma and elsewhere. Results indicate that for every five minutes of daily idling time reduced over the course of a school year, 7.5 gallons of fuel per bus can be saved for a collective savings of more than 58,000 gallons of diesel fuel saved annually.
Energy Use and Emissions Comparison of Idling Reduction Options for Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks
11/15/2008
Pollution and energy analyses of different idling reduction (IR) technologies have been limited to localized vehicle emissions and neglected upstream energy use and regional emissions. In light of increasing regulation and government incentives for IR, we analyzed the full-fuel-cycle effects of contemporary approaches. Our analysis incorporates direct impacts at the truck and upstream energy use and emissions estimates from the GREET model with published climate and vehicle operation data. We compared emissions, energy use, and proximity to urban populations for nine alternatives, including idling, electrified parking spaces, auxiliary power units, and several combinations of these.
Two Billion Cars: Transforming a Culture
11/1/2008
Can the planet sustain two billion vehicles? The answer is no-at least not as they exist today. The transportation community needs to summon its ingenuity to transform the vehicles and fuels commonly used today, introduce new mobility options, and alter unsustainable travel behaviors to accommodate both a growing population and a need for a sustainable planet.
Authors: Sperling, D.; Gordon, Deborah
