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Oil Bypass Filter Technology Evaluation Final Report
3/1/2006
This report is the final of 12 Oil Bypass Filter Technology Evaluation reports that document the feasibility of using oil bypass filter technologies on 17 vehicles in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) fleet. This evaluation was conducted by INL for the U.S. Department of Energy FreedomCAR & Vehicle Technologies Program.
Almost 1.3 million test miles were accumulated, with the four-cycle diesel engine buses accumulating 982,548 test miles and the gasoline filter systems were tested onboard 11 of the buses and the six Chevrolet Tahoes for 1,173,552 miles. Refined Global Solutions (RGS) oil bypass filter systems were tested onboard three buses for 112,168 miles. The performance of the puraDYN and RGS oil bypass filter systems are not compared; both were used as test mules to support the goal of reducing petroleum consumption by using oil bypass filter systems in government fleets.
Depending on the assumptions employed, INL found that oil bypass filter systems for diesel engine-equipped buses have a positive payback between 72,000 and 144,000 miles. The positive payback period for the gasoline engine Tahoes is between 66,000 and 69,000 miles.
Authors: Zirker, L.; Francfort, J.; Fielding, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - February 2006
2/1/2006
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report provides regional alternative and conventional fuel prices for biodiesel, compressed natural gas, ethanol, hydrogen, propane, gasoline, and diesel. The Alternative Fuel Price Report is a snapshot in time of retail fuel prices.
Transitioning to a Hydrogen Future: Learning from the Alternative Fuels Experience
2/1/2006
A wealth of practical knowledge concerning alternative fuel technologies, products, national policies, and market introduction exists within industry, regulated fleets, and voluntary programs. Issues relating to consumer choice, capital investment, business decision making, manufacturing, and infrastructure construction will need to be understood in the alternative fuels context if the hydrogen transition is to occur efficiently. The overall objective of this project is to assess relevant knowledge within the alternative fuels community and recommend transitional strategies and tactics that will further the hydrogen transition in the transportation sector and help avoid stranded assets in the alternative fuels industry.
Authors: Melendez, M.
Credit for New Qualified Alternative Motor Vehicles (Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicles and Qualified Hybrid Motor Vehicles)
1/13/2006
On January 13, 2006, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance regarding the tax credits for light-duty (less than 8,500 lbs. GVWR) lean-burn and hybrid electric vehicles. The guidance establishes the procedures that manufacturers must use to certify that their vehicles qualify for the tax credit. The IRS plans to issue additional guidance at a later date to address procedures for qualifying alternative fuel vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles.
The guidance provides procedures whereby a manufacturer may certify to the IRS that its vehicles qualify for the tax credits enacted in EPAct 2005. The guidance also provides procedures for reporting on the total number of qualifying vehicles that have been sold. Upon receiving the required information, the IRS will issue an acknowledgement. A manufacturer that has submitted the proper certification and received an acknowledgement from the IRS may then certify to customers/puchasers that the vehicles qualify for tax credits. For taxpayers to claim the credit, they must place the vehicle in service after December 31, 2005. The taxpayer also must be the original user of the vehicle (first purchaser or lessee) and the vehicle must be predominately used in the U.S.
Transportation Air Quality Selected Facts and Figures
1/1/2006
In response to the Clean Air Act (CAA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established National Ambient Air Quality Standards for various pollutants, known as criteria pollutants, that adversely affect human health and welfare. This report focuses on the three major transportation-related criteria pollutants: ozone and its precursors, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx); particulate matter; and carbon monoxide. This report contains historical measurements and data concerning transportation-induced pollution.
Steam Reforming of Ethanol at Elevated Pressures for Distributed Hydrogen Production
1/1/2006
Ethanol is an attractive renewable fuel because, as a liquid fuel, it has a high energy density, it is easy to transport, and it is environmentally more benign than petroleum-derived fuels. The hydrogen produced by reforming needs to be purified and compressed to the appropriate storage and dispensing pressures. Compressing hydrogen is energy intensive and can consume a significant fraction of the fuel's heating value. A promising option for producing hydrogen from ethanol is by conducting the ethanol steam reforming reaction at an elevated pressure, since injecting liquid feeds (ethanol and water) into a pressurized reactor requires very little energy.
Authors: Lee, S.; Papadias, D.; Ahluwalia, R.; Ahmed, S.
Ten Years of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Operations at SunLine Transit Agency, April 2003 - December 2004
1/1/2006
SunLine Transit Agency operating in and around Palm Springs, California, started operation of compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses in 1994 by converting its entire operating fleet to CNG overnight. Now, more than 10 years later, SunLine is still committed to CNG transit bus operations as well as testing other future technologies. The objective of this report is to capture some of the lessons learned and experiences gained at SunLine over the past 10 years.
Authors: Chandler, K.
The Harmful Effects of Vehicle Exhaust: A Case for Policy Change
1/1/2006
Most people assume that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sufficiently protecting air quality by setting limits for chemicals released from vehicles, requiring newer engines to be less polluting, and restricting levels normally found in outdoor air. While the government monitors pollutants at fixed stations, these measurements bear little resemblance to the pollutiuon you and your family experience while moving through daily life. This report examines a variety of harmful effects from air pollution, including that caused by vehicle exhaust. The report focuses on Connecticut.
Authors: Wargo, J.; Wargo, L.; Alderman, N; Brown, D. R.
FAA Inherently Low Emission Airport Vehicle Pilot Program
1/1/2006
This document is the Federal Aviation Administration's final report for the Inherently Low Emissions Airport Vehicle Pilot Program (ILEAV). The report describes the current level of ILEAV project activity based on information provided by participating airport sponsors in their progress reports of Sept. 30, 2005. The ILEAV program produced a total investment of over $14 million in airport low-emission technology, including federal grant and local matching contributions. The lessons learned from the ILEAV program have been valuable to the FAA and its development of new air quality initiatives.
Operating Experience and Teardown Analysis for Engines Operated on Biodiesel Blends (B20)
11/1/2005
The work described in this paper provides quantitative in-use data on the operating cost and engine durability impacts of B20 use in U.S. Postal Service (USPS) vehicles. This was accomplished through teardown analysis of engines and fuel systems removed from these vehicles and comparisons of wear characteristics to standard diesel vehicles operated in the same service. Engine- and fuel-related maintenance costs were also compared.
Authors: Fraer, R.; Dinh, H.; Proc, K.; McCormick, R.; Chandler, K.; Buchholz, B.
Clean Cities Around the World
11/1/2005
Clean Cities International (CCI), modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities initiative, facilitates the exchange of information on alternative fuels for the transportation sector to interested countries around the globe. The benefits of using alternative fuels are clearall can profit from cleaning the air, producing and using fuels domestically, and enhancing local economic activity. CCI seeks to use the successful experience in North America to help international communities realize these benefits.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - September 2005
9/1/2005
The September 2005 issue of 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. This issue summarizes prices that were collected in the month of September 2005 from Clean Cities Coordinators, fuel providers, and other Clean Cities stakeholders.
Authors: Laughlin, M.
