Next Generation Natural Gas Vehicle Program Fact Sheet
5/1/2002
Members of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are working to develop advanced, commercially viable, medium- and heavy-duty NGVs. The primary objective of the program is to develop two new NGVs for commercial servicea medium-duty (Class 3-6) compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle and a heavy-duty (Class 7-8) liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicle by 2004.
New York City Outcomes and Recommendations For Greater Alternative Fuel Vehicle Use
4/11/2002
This "Outcomes Paper" outlines how community groups, businesses, government agencies and other non-government organizations can increase the use of AFVs in their communities and to build the partnerships necessary to affect change. This document includes perspectives of diverse experts, advocates, and political leaders who contributed their time and effort to this process.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 28, 2002
3/28/2002
This is the fifth 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 months of January and February, 2002, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report which were collected in October, 2001.
Authors: Lott, M.
Alternative Fuels in Public Transit: A Match Made on the Road
3/1/2002
As alternative fuels compete with conventional fuels for a place in public awareness and acceptance, one of their most visible applications is in public transportation. Vehicles, particularly buses and shuttles, that carry people in large numbers, stand to gain much from using alternative fuels. Such high-demand fuel users can help sustain a fueling infrastructure that supports private autos and other smaller vehicles.
Resource Guide for Heavy-Duty LNG Vehicles, Infrastructure, and Support Operations
3/1/2002
This Guide is designed to assist decision makers and fleet managers, in considering the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in heavy-duty vehicles. The objective of the Guide is to answer questions regarding implementation of LNG fuel in the fleet, e.g., getting started, likely costs, benefits, and lessons others have learned. This Guide also provides you with contact information for representatives of companies now using these fuels, manufacturers and suppliers of the fuels, and technical and governmental reference materials. The information in the Guide is intended to be useful for both new and existing end-users of heavy-duty LNG vehicles, so that operations can be initiated or conducted in a cost-effective manner with minimal disruptions related to the new fuel technology.
Authors: Chandler, K.L.; Gifford, M.T.; Carpenter, B.S.
Natural Gas in Transit Fleets: A Review of the Transit Experience
2/1/2002
Use of natural gas in transit bus fleets has grown over the last decade. Often motivated by air quality concerns, the use of natural gas also contributes to national and local energy security. Approximately 9 percent of the U.S. transit fleet in 2001 was composed of buses operating on some form of natural gas and even more were on order. While some agencies have achieved success with their natural gas programs, others report difficulties and some have suspended their natural gas use altogether. What makes an agency successful in implementing natural gas into their operations? This pager reviews the experience of agencies with natural gas to determine the answer and to provide guidance on how fleets can effectively duplicate the successes and address or avoid the challenges.
Authors: Eudy, L.
Development of a Throttleless Natural Gas Engine
2/1/2002
The primary focus of the project was to investigate methods to increase the efficiency of natural gas engines, especially under part-load conditions. This report contains details on the development of a natural gas-fueled engine capable of throttleless operation to improve part load efficiency. In-cylinder fuel-air charge stratification was pursued as the mechanism for throttleless operation. Various methods of charge stratification were investigated, including direct injection, stratified charge (DISC) and a fuel injected prechamber (FIPC). The FIPC combustion system was found to be a more practical solution to the problem of charge stratification. Performance and emissions results from this engine configuration are presented and comparisons are made between current natural gas engines and the prototype FIPC engine.
Authors: Kubesh, J.
Children's Exposure to Diesel Exhaust on School Buses
2/1/2002
In the United States nearly 600,000 school buses transport 24 million students to school daily. Each year buses travel 4.3 billion miles as children take nearly 10 billion school bus rides. If rides average 30 minutes in each direction, students will spend 180 hours on buses each year. Collectively, U.S. children spend 3 billion hours on school buses each year. More than 99 percent of U.S. school buses are powered by diesel fuel. Diesel exhaust is comprised of very fine particles of carbon and a mixture of toxic gases. Federal agencies have classified diesel exhaust as a probable human carcinogen. Benzene, an important component of the fuel and exhaust, is designated to be a known human carcinogen. Components of diesel exhaust are genotoxic, mutagenic, and can produce symptoms of allergy, including inflammation and irritation of airways. There is no known safe level of exposure to diesel exhaust for children, especially those with respiratory illness. This study concludes that the laws intended to control air pollution in the U.S. must be strengthened to protect the health of children in several important respects. First, fixed monitoring facilities do not capture the variability in air pollution experienced by children. Second, air quality inside buildings and vehicles is not regulated by the EPA. Third, tougher diesel regulations adopted by the EPA last year are insufficient to protect health. Fifth, routine emissions testing for school buses is not required by federal law.
Authors: Wargo, J. Ph.D.; Brown, D. Sc.D.
U.S. Postal Service Fountain Valley Electric Carrier Route Vehicle Testing
1/1/2002
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has ordered 500 light-duty electric carrier route vehicles (ECRV) mostly for their delivery carriers to use in several California locations. The 500 ECRVs have been defined as a demonstration fleet to support a decision on potentially ordering 5,500 additional ECRVs. Several different test methods are being used by the USPS to evaluate the 500-vehicle deployment. One of these test methods is the ECRV Customer Acceptance Test Program at Fountain Valley, California. Two newly manufactured ECRVs were delivered to the Fountain Valley Post Office and eighteen mail carriers primarily drove the ECRVs on ?park and loop? mail delivery routes for a period of 2 days each. This ECRV testing consisted of 36 route tests, 18 tests per vehicle. The 18 mail carriers testing the ECRVs were surveyed for their opinions on the performance of the ECRVs. The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Field Operations Program, is supporting the USPS?s ECRV testing activities both financially and with technical expertise.
Authors: Francfort, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - December 17, 2001
12/17/2001
This is the fifth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to data 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 15 and October 22, 2001, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report for the week of June 4, 2001.
Authors: Lott, M.