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Model Year 2019 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates
12/19/2018
The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.
Model Year 2020 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates
12/19/2018
The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.
Clean Cities Coalitions 2016 Activity Report
10/10/2018
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) national network of Clean Cities Coalitions advance the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to promote the use of domestic fuels within transportation. The nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions, whose territory covers 80% of the U.S. population, bring together stakeholders in the public and private sectors to use alternative and renewable fuels, idle-reduction (IR) measures, fuel economy improvements, and new transportation technologies as they emerge. To ensure success, coalitions leverage a robust set of expert resources and tools provided by national laboratories and DOE. Each year, Clean Cities coordinators submit annual reports of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Data and information are submitted via an online tool that is maintained as part of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Coordinators submit a range of data that characterize the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions. They also submit data about sales of alternative fuels; use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs); IR initiatives; fuel economy improvement activities; and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). NREL analyzes the submitted data to determine how broadly energy use in the U.S. has shifted due to coalition activities, which are summarized in this report.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Singer, M.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2018
9/25/2018
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2018 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 1, 2018 and July 16, 2018, 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 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 21 cents from $2.67 to $2.88; diesel increased 21 cents from $3.03 to $3.24; CNG increased 4 cents from $2.18 to $2.22; ethanol (E85) increased 14 cents from $2.21 to $2.35; propane decreased 2 cents from $2.83 to $2.81; and biodiesel (B20) increased 19 cents from 2.87 to $3.06.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.66 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.17 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Ethanol Basics
9/11/2018
Ethanol is a widely used, domestically produced renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials. Ethanol can be blended with gasoline in different amounts. In fact, more than 98% of gasoline sold in the United States contains ethanol to oxygenate the fuel and help to reduce air pollution. Using ethanol in fuel also helps the nation increase the use of domestic alternative fuels, thereby potentially reducing reliance on imported oil. Gasoline and gasoline blendstocks can also use ethanol as an octane enhancer to increase vehicle performance.
A Life-Cycle Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn-Based Ethanol
9/5/2018
This analysis, conducted by ICF for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This report has analyzed the current GHG profile of U.S. corn ethanol and two projected emissions profiles for 2022. The starting point is the GHG life-cycle analysis (LCA) done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2010 for U.S. corn ethanol as part of its Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the Revised Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). In the RIA, EPA projected that in 2022, the life cycle emissions associated with ethanol would be 21 percent lower than those of an energy equivalent quantity of gasoline.
Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines: Properties of Co-Optima Core Research Gasolines
8/23/2018
The Co-Optima Core gasolines are a set of fuels developed to have similar autoignition properties but a wide range of composition. The primary compositional components varied were isoparaffins, cycloparaffins, olefins, aromatics, and ethanol. These fuels are being used extensively across the DOE national laboratories in fuel property and engine combustion research.They provide a consistent baseline across research platforms. This document is a compilation of chemical analysis and property data on these fuels, including basic properties such as density, octane numbers, heating value, Reid vapor pressure, and distillation. Elemental composition is reported, as well as detailed hydrocarbon analysis and functional group analysis by NMR spectroscopy. Enthalpy of vaporization at 20 deg C as well as true vapor pressure over the temperature range -20 deg to 120 deg C are also reported.
Authors: Fouts, L.; Fioroni, G.M.; Christensen, E.; Ratcliff, M.; McCormick, R.L.; Zigler, B.T.; Sluder, S.; Szybist, J.P.; Dec, J.E.; Miles, P.C.; Ciatti, S.; Bays, J.T.; Pitz, W.; Mehl, M.
Model Year 2018: Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles
8/7/2018
The fact sheet details the model, vehicle type, emission class, transmission type/speeds, engine size, and fuel economy of a variety of flexible fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, all-electric, and extended range electric vehicles, as well as CNG and propane vehicles.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April 2018
6/14/2018
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 2018 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, 2018 and April 16, 2018, 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 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 17 cents from $2.50 to $2.67; diesel increased 7 cents from $2.96 to $3.03; CNG increased 1 cent from $2.17 to $2.18; ethanol (E85) increased 15 cents from $2.06 to $2.21; propane remained the same at $2.83; and biodiesel (B20) increased 3 cents from 2.84 to $2.87.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.49 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.20 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Effects of Heat of Vaporization and Octane Sensitivity on Knock-Limited Spark Ignition Engine Performance. SAE Paper No. 2018-01-0218
4/3/2018
Knock-limited loads for a set of surrogate gasolines all having nominal 100 research octane number (RON), approximately 11 octane sensitivity (S), and a heat of vaporization (HOV) range of 390 to 595 kJ/kg at 25 degrees C were investigated. A single-cylinder spark-ignition engine derived from a General Motors Ecotec direct injection (DI) engine was used to perform load sweeps at a fixed intake air temperature (IAT) of 50 degrees C, as well as knock-limited load measurements across a range of IATs up to 90 degrees C. Both DI and pre-vaporized fuel (supplied by a fuel injector mounted far upstream of the intake valves and heated intake runner walls) experiments were performed to separate the chemical and thermal effects of the fuels' knock resistance. The DI load sweeps at 50 degrees C intake air temperature showed no effect of HOV on the knock-limited performance. The data suggest that HOV acts as a thermal contributor to S under the conditions studied. Measurement of knock-limited loads from the IAT sweeps for DI at late combustion phasing showed that a 40 vol% ethanol (E40) blend provided additional knock resistance at the highest temperatures, compared to a 20 vol% ethanol blend and hydrocarbon fuel with similar RON and S. Using the pre-vaporized fuel system, all the high S fuels produced nearly identical knock-limited loads at each temperature across the range of IATs studied. For these fuels RON ranged from 99.2 to 101.1 and S ranged from 9.4 to 12.2, with E40 having the lowest RON and highest S. The higher knock-limited loads for E40 at the highest IATs examined were consistent with the slightly higher S for this fuel, and the lower engine operating condition K values arising from use of this fuel. The study highlights how fuel HOV can affect the temperature at intake valve closing, and consequently the pressure-temperature history of the end gas leading to more negative values of K, thereby enhancing the effect of S on knock resistance.
Authors: Ratcliff, M.A.; Burton, J.; Sindler, P.; Christensen, E.; Fouts, L.; McCormick, R.L.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, January 2018
3/29/2018
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for January 2018 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 1, 2018 and January 16, 2018, 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 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 1 cent from $2.49 to $2.50; diesel increased 20 cents from $2.76 to $2.96; CNG remained the same at $2.17; ethanol (E85) decreased 4 cents from $2.10 to $2.06; propane increased 5 cents from $2.78 to $2.83; and biodiesel (B20) increased 16 cents from 2.68 to $2.84.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.33 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.18 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2017
11/29/2017
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for October 2017 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 October 1, 2017 and October 16, 2017, 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 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 23 cents from $2.26 to $2.49; diesel increased 29 cents from $2.47 to $2.76; CNG price increased 2 cents from $2.15 to $2.17; ethanol (E85) increased 11 cents from $1.99 to $2.10; propane decreased 6 cents from $2.84 to $2.78; and biodiesel (B20) has increased 19 cents from 2.49 to $2.68.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.32 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.24 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Designing a Successful Transportation Project: Lessons Learned from the Clean Cities American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Projects
9/27/2017
The largest source of funding for alternative fuel vehicle and infrastructure projects in the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program's history came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). In 2009, the 25 cost-share projects totaled nearly $300 million in federal government investment. This effort included the involvement of 50 Clean Cities coalitions and their nearly 700 stakeholder partners who provided an additional $500 million in matching funds to support projects in their local communities. In total, those 25 projects established 1,380 alternative fueling stations and put more than 9,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles on the road. Together, these projects displaced 154 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) of petroleum and averted 254,000 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while supporting U.S. energy independence and contributing to regional economic development. During post-project interviews, project leaders consistently cited a number of key components - ranging from technical and logistical factors, to administrative capabilities - for accomplishing an effective and impactful project. This report summarizes the high-level project design and administrative considerations for conducting a successful transportation project.
Authors: Kelly, K.; Singer, M.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2017
9/5/2017
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2017 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 1, 2017 and July 17, 2017, 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 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has decreased 12 cents from $2.38 to $2.26; diesel decreased 8 cents from $2.55 to $2.47; CNG price is unchanged at $2.15; ethanol (E85) decreased 12 cents from $2.11 to $1.99; propane increased 1 cent from $2.83 to $2.84; and biodiesel (B20) is unchanged at 2.49.
According to Table 3, CNG is $.11 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.32 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
