Evaluating the Safety of a Natural Gas Home Refueling Appliance (HRA)
4/1/2005
This project evaluated the probability of safety incidents related to use of FuelMaker Corporation's natural gas home refueling appliance, Phill. The results indicate that an individual is 10 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to experience a safety incident resulting from normal use of Phill. The safety evaluation produced an added benefit—FuelMaker incorporated suggestions from the study into its final design of Phill. Home refueling has the potential to increase the availability and convenience of natural gas vehicle refueling infrastructure. It is anticipated that this would lead to more extensive use of natural gas vehicles, resulting in reduced U.S. petroleum consumption.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 28, 2005
3/28/2005
This is the fourteenth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter 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 between March 8 and March 22, 2005, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in November, 2004. The changes in prices from one reporting period to the next can be attributed not only to price volatility, but also to an inconsistent set of respondents. Thus, differences from one report to the next should not be assumed to reflect trends.
Authors: Lott, M.
Updated Energy and Greenhouse Emission Results of Fuel Ethanol
2/8/2005
Since 1997, the Center for Transportation Research of Argonne National Laboratory has been evaluating fuel ethanol?s energy and GHG emission impacts as part of its overall efforts of evaluating well-to-wheels energy and emission effects of various advanced vehicle technologies and transportation fuels. Argonne?s analysis, in agreement with many other recently completed studies, concludes that corn-based ethanol achieves energy and GHG emission reduction benefits, relative to gasoline. This is mainly because of 1)improved corn productivity in U.S. corn farms in the past 30 years; 2) reduced energy use in ethanol plants in the past 15 years; and 3) appropriately addressing of ethanol?s co-products. Furthermore, Argonne concludes that cellulosic ethanol to be produced from feedstocks such as woody or herbaceous biomass has much larger energy and GHG emission reduction benefits. This paper presents Argonne?s updated energy and GHG emission results of fuel ethanol in the U.S.
Authors: Wang, M.
Norcal Prototype LNG Truck Fleet: Final Data Report
2/1/2005
This final data report provides detailed data and analyses related to the report Norcal Prototype LNG Truck Fleet: Final Results, published in July of 2004. It should be used in conjunction with the descriptions, analysis, and conclusions presented in the above-referenced final report to give a complete picture of the evaluation. The detailed data and analyses are divided into four sections:
- Vehicle Systems Descriptions: This section lists the trucks involved in the Norcal evaluation and gives detailed descriptions of the equipment included in the LNG trucks.
- Vehicle Use by Study Group: This section provides a detailed summary of truck use for each of the three truck study groups (LNG, new diesel, and old diesel); these detailed data support the data in the final report, Figure 10 (page 13).
- Fuel Consumption and Fuel Economy: This section provides monthly summaries of fuel consumption and fuel economy by truck and by group for each of the three truck study groups (LNG, new diesel, and old diesel).
- Maintenance Summary: This section provides monthly summaries of maintenance costs by truck and by group for each of two study groups (LNG and new diesel); maintenance costs were not studied for the old diesel trucks.
Authors: Chandler, K.; Proc, K.
Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management
2/1/2005
The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented. Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand sides but to have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance of peaking.
Authors: Hirsch, R.L.; Bezdek, R.; Wendling, R.
Honda Emergency Response Guide For Hybrid Vehicles
1/1/2005
Prepared for fire service, law enforcement, emergency medical, and professional towing personnel, this guide includes information about vehicle hazards, emergency, and towing procedures for the Honda hybrid electric vehicles.
Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Best Practice Case Study: The Saunders Hotel Group of Boston - Driving Their Guests Towards a Safer Future
1/1/2005
The Saunders Hotel Group has been at the forefront of environmental advances in the hospitality industry for over fifteen years. The Boston-based family business, which owns and operates The Lenox and Copley Square Hotels as well as the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston/Airport, has instituted more than 90 innovative, eco-friendly programs company wide. Their pioneering efforts have demonstrated for hotels worldwide how environmental measures can build customer loyalty and employee productivity while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America's Energy Challenges
12/1/2004
A bipartisan group of top energy experts from industry, government, labor, academia, and environmental and consumer groups produced this report to address major long-term U.S. energy challenges. The report contains detailed policy recommendations for addressing oil security, climate change, natural gas supply, the future of nuclear energy, and other long-term challenges, and is backed by more than 30 original research studies.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - November 26, 2004
11/26/2004
This is the thirteenth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter 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 between November 8 and November 19, 2004, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in June, 2004.
Authors: Lott, M.
Net Energy Balance of Ethanol Production
10/1/2004
Study after study confirms that ethanol production from corn produces more energy than it takes to make it. This issue brief explains the argument and the conclusions of the "costs" of ethanol production.
Authors: Durante, D.; Miltenberger, M.