Publications

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 3, 2003

3/3/2003

This is the ninth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price 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 during the weeks of February 3, February 10, and February 17 2003, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in October, 2002.

Authors: Lott, M.

MTA New York City Transit

3/1/2003

The Role of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) is to bridge the gap between R&D of advanced vehicle technologies and commercial availability. This fact sheet examines testing activity for New York City Transit's fleet of diesel electric hybrid buses.

The Effect of Biodiesel Composition on Engine Emissions from a DDC Series 60 Diesel Engine

2/28/2003

Certificaation fuel runs exhibited a mean NOx emission level of 4.59 g/bhp-h (+/-.053) with no significant drift over the four month test program. PM emissions averaged 0.261 g/bhp-h (+/-0.019). A small downward drift in PM emissions was evident (11% over the course of the project). Thus, no correction for drift was applied to the NOx emissions data but a small correction wass applied to PM.

Authors: Graboski, M.S.; R.L. McCormick, T.L. Alleman

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - December 27, 2002

12/27/2002

This is the eighth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price 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 during the weeks of October 21, October 28, and November 4, 2002, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report which were collected in July, 2002.

Authors: Lott, M.

Advanced Technology Vehicles in Service: NORCAL Waste Systems, Inc.

12/1/2002

This fact sheet describes the liquefied natural gas (LNG) long-haul heavy-duty trucks at Norcal Waste Systems Inc.'s sanitary fill company.

Authors: White, H.

Tiger Teams Technical Assistance: CNG Fuel Transfer

10/1/2002

This CD ROM offers step-by-step instructions on how to fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) from one bus to another.

Study of Exhaust Emissions from Idling Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks and Commercially Available Idle-Reducing Devices

10/1/2002

Heavy duty diesel truck idling contributes significantly to energy consumption in the United States. The EPA initiated a study to quantify long duration idling emissions and fuel consumption rates over a two year period. It performed 42 tests on nine class-8 trucks (model years ranging from 1980s to 2001). Two of those trucks were equipped with 11 hp diesel auxiliary power units (APUs), and one was equipped with a diesel direct fired heater (DFH). The APU powers electrical accessories, heating, and air conditioning, whereas the DFH heats the cab in lieu of truck idling. Results indicate that use of an APU can reduce idling fuel consumption by 50 to 80% and reduce NOx by 89 to 94%. The use of a DFH can reduce fuel consumption by 94 to 96% and reduce NOx by 99%.

Authors: Lim, H.

Using Unmodified Vegetable Oils as a Diesel Fuel Extender: A Literature Review

9/22/2002

This paper is a review of literature concerning using vegetable oils as a replacement for diesel fuel. The term vegetable oils as used in this paper refers to vegetable oils which have not been modified by transesterification or similar processes to form what is called biodiesel. The oils studied include virgin and used oils of various types including soy, rapeseed, canola, sunflower, cottonseed and similar oils. In general, raw vegetable oils can be used successfully in short term performance tests in nearly any percentage as a replacement for diesel fuel. When tested in long term tests blends above 20 percent nearly always result in engine damage or maintenance problems. Some authors report success in using vegetable oils as diesel fuel extenders in blends less than 20 percent even in long term durability studies. Degumming is suggested by one author as a way to improve use of raw oils in low level blends.

Authors: Jones, S.; Peterson C.L.

Model Year 2003: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Available or Nearing Completion

8/27/2002

This document provides facts and figures for all model year 2003 alternative fuel vehicles available to fleet buyers and the general public to lease or purchase.

Authors: Coene, N.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Biodiesel Fuel Comparison Final Data Report

8/15/2002

The West Virginia University measured the exhaust emissions from a Flxible Transit bus with a 1990 Cummins L10 engine operated on standard federal type-1 deisel fuel (D1), ultra-low sulfur type-1 diesel fuel (ULSD1) and on a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% ULSD1 fuel (BD20). During the ULSD1 and BD20 tests the transit bus was equipped with an Engelhard DPX catalyzed particulate filter. The vehicle was exercised over a chassis dynamometer test cycle that was developed from data logged from WMATA buses during normal passenger service in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. All measurements were made in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations CFR40 Part 86 Subpart N.

Authors: Donald W. Lyons

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - August 8, 2002

8/8/2002

This is the seventh issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price 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 during the weeks of July 15, July 22, and July 29, 2002, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report which were collected in April, 2002.

Authors: Lott, M.

Technical Assessment of Advanced Transit Bus Propulsion Systems

8/1/2002

This report provides the results of a technology assessment developed as part of Phase I of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Zero Emission Program (ZEP). The scope of this report explores the advanced propulsion technologies feasible for bus ordering by DART in 2007 (replacing the model year 1998 and prior standard bus fleet) and capable of adequate performance for DART service, while meeting the emissions standards.

United Parcel Service (UPS) CNG Truck Fleet: Final Results

8/1/2002

In cooperation with UPS, a selection of Freightliner CNG delivery vehicles from the company's original 1996 order were evaluated as part of the U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (DOE/NREL) Truck Evaluation Project. The plan for this evaluation was to test as many as 15 CNG package delivery cars and 3 diesel package delivery cars operating in the Hartford, Connecticut area from UPS's Waterbury, Hartford, and Windsor facilities. This report included a technical review of data collected for the UPS CNG package delivery car operations in Hartford and Waterbury, Connecticut, compared with UPS diesel truck operations in Windsor, Connecticut. The objective of this project was to provide transportation professionals with quantitative, unbiased information on the cost, maintenance, operational, and emissions characteristics of CNG as one alternative to conventional diesel fuel for heavy-duty trucking applications.

Authors: Chandler, K.; Walkowicz, K.; Clark, N.

Battery-Powered Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Projects to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Resource Guide for Project Development

7/1/2002

This report provides national and international project developers with a guide on how to estimate and document the GHG emission reduction benefits and/or penalties for battery-powered and hybrid-electric vehicle projects. This primer also provides a resource for the creation of GHG emission reduction projects for the Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) Pilot Phase and in anticipation of other market based project mechanisms proposed under the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC). Though it will be necessary for project developers and other entities to evaluate the emission benefits of each project on a case-by-case basis, this primer will provide a guide for determining which data and information to include during the process of developing the project proposal.

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program: Assessing 10 Years of Experience

6/1/2002

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program was enacted as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and reauthorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1998. After nearly a decade of the program's operation, congressional sponsors were interested in knowing whether it has been effective and whether its projects were cost-effective relative to other strategies for reducing pollution and congestion. Their questions were summarized in a request to the National Academy of Sciences for a study to evaluate the CMAQ program.

Notes: Book available for sale.