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Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2006
10/1/2006
The October 2006 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders in September and October 2006, 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 illustrates that alternative fuel prices relative to conventional fuels vary, with some (propane and biodiesel) higher and some (E85 and CNG) lower. CNG is about 45 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 11 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
King County Metro Transit: Allison Hybrid Electric Transit Bus Laboratory Testing
9/1/2006
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's ReFUEL facility conducted chassis dynamometer testing of two 60-foot articulated transit buses, one conventional and one hybrid. Both test vehicles were 2004 New Flyer buses powered by Caterpillar C9 8.8L engines, with the hybrid vehicle incorporating a GM-Allison advanced hybrid electric drivetrain. Both vehicles also incorporated an oxidizing diesel particulate filter. The hybrid vehicle demonstrated the greatest improvement in fuel economy in the low speed, heavy stop-and-go driving conditions of the Manhattan (N.Y.)test cycle (74.6%), followed by the Orange County (Calif.) test cycle (50.6%), the Central Business District cycle (48.3%), and the King County (Wash.) Metro test cycle (30.3%). Emission trends were similar to fuel economy improvement trends. The hybrid shoed reductions in NOx emissions over the Manhattan cycle (38.7%), the Orange County cycle (28.6%), the Central Business District cycle (26.6%), and the King County test cycle (17.8%). Vehicle exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and state of charge of the energy storage system were measured for repeated test conditions. The remainder of this document includes the experimental setup, test procedures, and results from vehicle testing performed at the NREL ReFUEL laboratory.
Authors: Hayes, R.R.; Williams, A.; Ireland, J.; Walkowicz, K.
Case Study: Ebus Hybrid Electric Buses and Trolleys
7/1/2006
The Indianapolis Transportation Corp. and Knoxville Area Transit participated in a demonstration of hybrid electric buses and trolleys produced by Ebus, Inc. of Downey, California. This is a case study of performance, costs, and maintenance experience.
Authors: Barnitt, R.
A Guide for Evaluating the Requirements of Ethanol Plants
6/20/2006
During the past decade, interest in the production of biofuels from renewable resources has continued to grow throughout the U.S. Major grain producing states have placed special emphasis on the production of ethanol. The currrent demand for ethanol and the projected increase in the use of these fuels under a national renewable fuels standard continues to stimulate interest in the prospects for the development of new ethanol plants. This publication is designed to assist interested parties during the initial stages of evaluating the potential for the development of a processing facility. Interested parties can consider the requirements and potential impact of an ethanol production facility in a community or region of the state. The value-added aspects of producing a high value product from lower cost raw materials has considerable appeal in agricultural states and areas where reliable supplies of biomass feedstocks exist.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, June 2006
6/1/2006
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report designed to keep you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels and conventional fuels in the U.S. Prices were collected during May and June of 2006.
Designing New Transit Bus Garages to be Fuel Flexible
5/12/2006
The basic differences between the properties of gaseous and liquid fuels influence building design requirements for transit bus garages. Leaks, flammability range, and ignition temperatures must be considered when designing the structure, utilities, ventilation, and safety equipment.
Authors: Adams, R.
SunLine Expands Horizons with Fuel Cell Bus Demo
5/1/2006
Sunline Transit Agency, a joint powers authority that provides public transit and community services to California's Coachella Valley, was an early adopter of alternative fuels for bus operations. SunLine replaced its diesel fleet with CNG buses and has worked to further reduce emissions. SunLine is currently testing a prototype fuel cell bus.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle Fleet and Baseline Performance Testing
4/3/2006
The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) conducts baseline performance and fleet testing of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). To date, the AVTA has completed baseline performance testing on 7 HEV models and accumulated 1.4 million fleet testing miles on 26 HEVs. Tested models include: Toyota Gen I and Gen II Prius, and Highlander; Honda Insight, Civic and Accord; Chevrolet Silverado; Ford Escape; and Lexus RX 400h. The baseline performance testing includes dynamometer and closed track testing to document the HEV's fuel economy and performance in a controlled environment. During fleet testing, two of each HEV model were driven to 160,000 miles per vehicle. At the conclusion of the 160,000 miles of fleet testing, fuel economy tests were rerun and each HEV battery pack was tested. The paper discusses the testing methods and results.
Authors: Francfort, J.; Karner, D.; Harkins, R.; Tardiolo, J.
Notes: Paper is available for purchase from SAE.
King County Metro Transit Hybrid Articulated Buses: Interim Evaluation Results
4/1/2006
This is an interim technical report comparing and evaluating new diesel and diesel hybrid-electric articulated buses operated as part of the King County Metro Transit fleet in Seattle, Washington. This report covers the first six months of a planned 12-month evaluation.
Authors: Chandler, K., Walkowicz, K.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Compressed Natural Gas Transit Bus Evaluation
4/1/2006
The objective of this report is to provide a reasonable comparison between currently available compressed natural gas and standard diesel transit buses. The report includes operational, maintenance, and performance data for each study fleet operating from the same depot. The evaluation was conducted in 2004. Transit agencies considering use of alternative fuel and advanced propulsion technology transit buses are the primary audience for this information.
Authors: K.Chandler; E.Eberts; M.Melendez
Estimated Use of Gasohol - 2004
4/1/2006
This one-page table provides estimated use of the total amount of ethanol used in gasohol in the 50 states in 2004. The total was 3.6 billon gallons of ethanol used in gasohol blends.
