Technical Barriers to the Use of Ethanol in Diesel Fuel
11/1/2001
The objectives of this study are to examine the status of ethanol-diesel blends and to identify barriers and technical gaps that hinder rapid introduction of these fuels into the market. The results of this assessment and planning process will allow the Department of Energy (DOE) to understand the issues facing the industry and to determine if and how DOE involvement might assist in overcoming the identified barriers. This document includes a brief description of ethanol production, distribution, and storage as background information. This is followed by a description of ethanol-diesel blends (e-diesel) and the properties of these fuels. Engine performance and regulatory requirements are also described. Potential technical barriers are noted in each of these areas and summarized at the end.
Authors: McCormick, R. L.; Parish, R.
Ralphs Grocery EC-Diesel? Truck Fleet Final Data Report
10/1/2001
This is the final data report for the Ralphs Grocery ARCO EC-Diesel? Technology Validation Program, which was conducted with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with federal and state agencies and industry partners. The purpose of the validation program was to evaluate trucks retrofitted with catalyzed diesel particulate filters and fueled with a new ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel called ECD? , which was developed by ARCO, a BP Company.
Ralphs Grocery EC-Diesel? Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience
10/1/2001
Ralphs Grocery volunteered to participate in the ARCO EC-Diesel? Technology Validation Program, which is being conducted with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with federal and state agencies and industry partners. NREL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory. The Program is supported by DOE's Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT), Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT). The purpose of the validation program is to evaluate trucks retrofitted with catalyzed diesel particulate filters and fueled with a new ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel called ECD? , which was developed by ARCO, a BP Company.
Authors: Peterson, G; LeTavec, C.;Hallstrom, K.;Lassen, M.; Keski-Hynnila, D.;Vertin, K.; Chandler, K.;Clark, N.
UPS CNG Truck Fleet Final Data Report DOE/NREL Truck Evaluation Project
10/1/2001
This is the final data report for the United Parcel Service compressed natural gas (CNG) truck fleet evaluation project in which selected Freightliner CNG delivery vehicles were evaluated as part of the DOE/NREL study. The plan for this evaluation was to test up to 15 CNG package cars and three diesel package cars operating in the Hartford, Connecticut, area from UPS's Waterbury, Hartford, and Windsor facilities. The trucks were all Freighliner Custom Chassis built with Cummins engines. The diesel vehicles had B5.9 engines, and the CNG vehicles had B5.9G engines. The data collection for the DOE/NREL program required a minimum of 12 months of operations data. Based on the age of the CNG and diesel package vehicles (model year 1997) and UPS's extensive data tracking system, the actual evaluation provided here was chosen to be a two-year data evaluation period.
UPS CNG Truck Fleet Start-Up Experience Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project
8/1/2001
UPS currently operates 140 Freightliner Custom Chassis compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles with Cummins B5.9G engines. Fifteen are participating in the Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Transportation Technologies and the Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is conducting the study in collaboration with federal and state agencies and industry partners such as UPS.
Alternative Motor Fuels and Vehicles: Impact on the Transportation Sector
7/10/2001
This document is the testimony given by Jim Wells, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. General Accounting Office, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The statement discusses the extent of alternative fuel vehicle acquisition and fuel use, some of the barriers inhibiting greater use of alternative fuels and vehicles, and the federal tax incentives used to promote the use of alternative motor fuels and vehicles in the U.S.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - July 3, 2001
7/3/2001
This is the fourth 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 May 28 and June 4, 2001, with comparisons to the prices in the previous price report for the week of October 9, 2000.
Authors: Laughlin, M.
National Energy Policy: Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group
5/16/2001
This overview sets forth the National Energy Policy Development (NEPD) Group's findings and key recommendations for a National Energy Policy.
Notes: Hard copies of this document are for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Web site: http://bookstore.gpo.gov. Contact the U.S. Government Printing Office by phone: (202) 512-1800 or fax: (202) 512-2250
Future U.S. Highway Energy Use: A Fifty Year Perspective
5/3/2001
The U.S. Transportation system as a whole and the highway mode in particular will be much different in the year 2050 compared to today. The type and number of vehicles in use and the fuels employed to power them are unknown. Yet planning for the future requires acting on the information at hand: assessing the implications of the current path and the potential benefit of alternative futures. This paper puts transportation energy issues into a long-run perspective so that informed planning can begin early enough to make a decisive difference. This paper examines the global oil supply and demand over the next 50 years to show that a transition away from conventional oil will begin. The analysis reviews the energy, economic, and environmental implications of the alternatives that are available to meet some of the anticipated gap between world conventional oil production and the liquid fuels required to support a growing world economy. This paper then describes several U.S. Transportation technology strategies with a range of efficiency improvements and fuel substitutions, and calculates their first order effects on energy use, petroleum consumption, and carbon emissions over a 50-year time horizon.
Authors: Birky, A.; Greene, D.; Gross, T.; Hamilton, D.; Heitner, K.; Johnson, L.; Maples, J.; Moore, J.; Patterson, P.; Plotkin, S.; Stodolsky, F.
Notes: This report is available on the Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT) Web site at http://www.ott.doe.gov/facts/publications/hwyfuture.pdf
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Evaluation
4/1/2001
This report describes the hydrogen fuel cell bus evaluation project that is underway at SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California on a bus equipped with an XCELLSiS Phase 4 fuel cell engine. The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with transit agencies and other partners to determine the test and evaluation protocols needed to advance implementation of these new technologies, as well as to document the necessary modifications to the transit agencies' maintenance and operation infrastructure. By evaluating SunLine, an 'early adopter' of the technology, NREL will develop and carry out a test plan for evaluating the fuel cell buses, the hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and maintenance facilities. This paper describes the prototype bus, fueling infrastructure, and maintenance facility at SunLine and begins the process of determining what is needed to evaluate and characterize the bus' performance in service.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Parish, R.; Leonard, J.
Taking an Alternative Route: A Guide for Fleet Operators and Individual Owners Using Alternative Fuels in Cars and Trucks
4/1/2001
DOE has prepared this guide to help you determine whether your fleet is covered by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), and to provide information on available alternative fuels and vehicles. With this information, fleets can shorten the time it takes to improve air quality and pave our nation's road to energy independence by using AFVs certified to meet EPA's Clean Fuel Fleet standards as well as the mandated EPAct requirements.