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.
Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends on Legacy Vehicles and Small Non-Road Engines, Report 1 - Updated
2/1/2009
In summer 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a test program to evaluate the potential impacts of intermediate ethanol blends on legacy vehicles and other engines. The purpose of the test program is to assess the viability of using intermediate blends as a contributor to meeting national goals in the use of renewable fuels. Through a wide range of experimentalactivities, DOE is evaluating the effects of E15 and E20?gasoline blended with 15% and 20% ethanol?on tailpipe and evaporative emissions, catalyst and engine durability, vehicle driveability, engine operability, and vehicle and engine materials.
The purpose of this initial study was to quickly investigate the effects of adding up to 20% ethanol to gasoline on regulated tailpipe emissions for 16 popular late-model vehicles on a drive cycle similar toreal-world driving and 28 small non-road engines (SNREs)? under certification or typical inuse procedures;exhaust and catalyst temperatures of the same vehicles under more severe conditions; temperature of key engine components of the same SNREs under certification or typical in-use conditions; and observable operational issues with either the vehicles or SNREs during the course of testing.
Authors: Knoll, K.; West, B.; Clark, W.; Graves, R.; Orban, J.; Przesmitzki, S.; Theiss, T.
Effect of Intake Air Filter Condition on Vehicle Fuel Economy
2/1/2009
Vehicle design, including mass, rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, and engine and transmission efficiency, is an important factor affecting a vehicle?s fuel economy on the prescribed driving schedules. Proper vehicle maintenance, on the other hand, can help the vehicle perform as it was designed, thus positively affecting fuel economy, emissions, and the overall drivability of a vehicle. Past studies have indicated that replacing a clogged or dirty air filter can improve vehicle fuel economy. This report describes a DOE-funded investigation into the effects of clogged air filters on the fuel economy of three modern vehicles, ranging from 2003 to 2007, that use closed-loop fuel control and a vintage 1972 vehicle equipped with a carburetor.
Authors: Norman, K.; Huff, S.; West, B.
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.
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.
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).
Biofuels, Land Use Change, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Some Unexplored Variables
1/1/2009
Greenhouse gas release from land use change (the so-called ?carbon debt?) has been identified as a potentially significant contributor to the environmental profile of biofuels. The time required for biofuels to overcome this carbon debt due to land use change and begin providing cumulative greenhouse gas benefits is referred to as the ?payback period? and has been estimated to be 100−1000 years depending on the specific ecosystem involved in the land use change event. Two mechanisms for land use change exist: ?direct? land use change, in which the land use change occurs as part of a specific supply chain for a specific biofuel production facility, and ?indirect? land use change, in which market forces act to produce land use change in land that is not part of a specific biofuel supply chain, including, for example, hypothetical land use change on another continent. Existing land use change studies did not consider many of the potentially important variables that might affect the greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels. We examine here several variables that have not yet been addressed in land use change studies. Our analysis shows that cropping management is a key factor in estimating greenhouse gas emissions associated with land use change. Sustainable cropping management practices (no-till and no-till plus cover crops) reduce the payback period to 3 years for the grassland conversion case and to 14 years for the forest conversion case. It is significant that no-till and cover crop practices also yield higher soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in corn fields derived from former grasslands or forests than the SOC levels that result if these grasslands or forests are allowed to continue undisturbed. The United States currently does not hold any of its domestic industries responsible for its greenhouse gas emissions. Thus the greenhouse gas standards established for renewable fuels such as corn ethanol in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 set a
Authors: Kim, H.; Kim, S; Dale, B.E.
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.
Clean Cities 2009 Vehicle Buyer's Guide
11/1/2008
This 32-page booklet offers information about available 2009 alternative fuel vehicles including natural gas, propane, electric, hybrid, ethanol and biodiesel vehicles.
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
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Review
11/1/2008
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are under evaluation by the U.S.Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program?s Advanced VehicleTesting Activity and other various stakeholders to better understand theircapability and potential petroleum reduction benefits. PHEVs could allow usersto significantly improve fuel economy over a standard hybrid electric vehicle,and in some cases, depending on daily driving requirements and vehicle design,PHEVs may have the ability to eliminate fuel consumption entirely for dailyvehicle trips. The cost associated with providing charging infrastructure forPHEVs, along with costs for onboard power electronics and the batteriesassociated with PHEV technology, will be key factors in the success of PHEVs.This report analyzes the infrastructure requirements for PHEVs in singlefamily residential, multi-family residential, and commercial situations. Costsassociated with this infrastructure are tabulated, providing an estimate of theinfrastructure costs associated with PHEV deployment.
Authors: Morrow, K.; Karner, D.; Francfort, J.
Environmental Laws Applicable to Construction and Operation of Biodiesel Production Facilities
11/1/2008
This document discusses the various federal environmental requirements that may apply to commercial biodiesel production facilities located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska that use the transesterification process. It also provides information on specific environmental laws including the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the Clean Air Act. Note that state or local requirements may be more stringent than federal requirements and are outside the scope of this document.
Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool
11/1/2008
The Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool helps fleets, consumers, and business owners create a strategy to reudce conventional fuel use in fleet and personal vehicles. This interactive tool allows users to evaluate and calculate petroleum reductions by choosing one or a combination of methods.