Publications

State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleets: Fleet Compliance Annual Report - Model Year 2019, Fiscal Year 2020

12/15/2020

This annual report of the Alternative Fuel Transportation Program, which ensures compliance with DOE regulations covering state government and alternative fuel provider fleets pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), as amended, provides fleet compliance results for manufacturing year 2019/fiscal year 2020.

Accelerating Ride-Hailing Electrification: Challenges, Benefits, and Options for State Action

12/2/2020

In the United States, use of ride-hailing services has grown at a steep rate over the last decade, and this trend is expected to continue. A rapid transition in ride-hailing fleets from internal combustion engine vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, increase consumer exposure to PEVs, deliver maintenance and fuel cost savings to drivers, and improve the business case for fast charging infrastructure by increasing utilization. This paper identifies the benefits and challenges associated with transitioning vehicles driving on transportation network company platforms to PEVs and recommends specific actions states can take to support and accelerate the transition.

Authors: Hunt, J.; McKearnan, S.

Florida Electric Vehicle Roadmap

12/1/2020

In May 2019, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Energy began working on a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) roadmap for the state of Florida. This roadmap provides a comprehensive investigation into the status and needs of PEV charging infrastructure in Florida for the following three to four years. This roadmap identifies PEV charging infrastructure impacts on the electric grid, solutions for any negative impacts, areas that lack PEV charging infrastructure, best practices for siting PEV charging stations, and technical or regulatory barriers to expansion of PEV charging infrastructure. It also provides recommendations that address permitting, emergency evacuation needs, and education.

Authors: Smith Burk, K.; Groover Combs, A.; Kettles, D.; Reed, K.

Assessing the Potential for Low-Carbon Fuel Standards as a Mode of EV Support

12/1/2020

Low-carbon fuel standards (LCFS), which regulate the carbon intensity of fuels supplied to transportation, can provide long-term, durable funding for plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure and PEV purchasing incentives as other policies such as rebates expire or are phased-down. This study assesses the role that a national LCFS program can play in accelerating the rate of light-duty passenger PEV and charging infrastructure deployment.

Authors: Kelly, C.: Pavlenko, N.

Electrification Assessment of Public Vehicles in Washington

11/30/2020

Washington State is positioned to cost effectively electrify nearly all public vehicles by the year 2035. With near-term policy action and targeted investments in infrastructure, the state can accelerate ongoing efforts to advance electric vehicles (EVs) and solidify its leadership position in the EV market in the United States. This assessment evaluates the electrification potential for all publicly owned vehicles in the State of Washington. It provides Washington with comprehensive, vehicle-specific electrification cost estimates both today and in the future along with actionable information on how to efficiently move forward with fleet electrification.

Authors: Satterfield, C.; Nigro, N.; Wood, E.; Jensen, J.; Smith, C.; Desai, R.; Lepre, N.; Ge, Y.

Federal Workplace Charging Program Guide

11/2/2020

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorizes the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment for the purpose of charging privately owned vehicles (POVs) under the custody or control of the General Services Administration or other federal agencies. It requires the collection of fees to recover the costs of installing, operating, and maintaining this equipment and imposes reporting requirements. This model program guide reviews those requirements and describes when and how fees may be required to cover costs of electricity, network costs, EV charging equipment, and installations in various scenarios. This model program guide is designed to support federal agencies developing and refining workplace charging programs for employee POVs.

Federal Best Practices: Core Principles of Sustainable Fleet Management

11/2/2020

This document is designed to help agency fleet managers understand and implement optimal petroleum reduction strategies for each fleet location by evaluating the most appropriate combination of the four core principles of sustainable fleet management: right-sizing the fleet to agency mission by implementing a vehicle allocation methodology study; minimizing vehicle miles traveled; increasing fleet fuel efficiency by replacing inefficient vehicles with more fuel-efficient vehicles, maintaining vehicles, driving more efficiently, and avoiding excessive idling; and optimizing cost-effective alternative fuel use, including maximizing use of existing alternative fuel infrastructure, installing alternative fuel infrastructure where practical (including electric vehicle charging stations), and aligning deployment of alternative fuel vehicles with fueling infrastructure.

Authors: Bentley, J.; Hodge, C.

Fleet-Wide Electrification Impacts Assessment for the Valley Transportation Authority

11/1/2020

This report explores the long-term electrification opportunities for the Valley Transit Authority’s (VTA) transit bus fleet. It also explores the potential for transit bus electrification at VTA as well as the economic impacts of partial and complete electrification. Further, the report includes the optimal charging, operation and lowest capital and operating cost solution to achieve different levels of electrification to meet VTA’s existing routes.

Authors: Eichman, J.; Kotz, A.; Miller, E.; Kelly, K.; Ficenec, K.

Electrifying Freight: Pathways to Accelerating the Transition

11/1/2020

The U.S. economy is heavily dependent on the functionality of our freight and goods transportation services. Road freight transportation in the United States is projected to grow steadily in the coming decades, and electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as a clean and cost-effective alternative. This report outlines the benefits of electric trucks, explains the major barriers impeding their production, sales, and deployment, and establishes the next steps that manufacturers, policymakers, fleet operators, and other stakeholders should take to facilitate and accelerate freight electrification.

Authors: Buholtz, T.; Burger, A.; Gander, S.; Nelson, B.; Prochazka, B.; Swalnick, N

Alternative Fuels Data Center and Related Technology Integration Tools

9/28/2020

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) facilitates national coordination of the Clean Cities coalitions through its Technology Integration Program. VTO's Technology Integration Program supports a broad technology portfolio that can reduce transportation energy costs for businesses and consumers. Fleets, cities, and regions can use the tools featured in this guide to implement alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. Also learn how Clean Cities coalitions and their stakeholders across the country have used the tools.

2019 Fuel Cell Technologies Market Report

9/1/2020

This report provides an update on the status of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, including deployments and demonstrations of various applications, as well as a snapshot of the business and governmental landscape for the year 2019. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, it follows the format of prior market reports and provides a factual, unbiased view of the technology and market status.

Authors: Dolan, C.; Gangi, J.; Homann, Q.; Fink, V.; Kopasz, J.

Hydrogen Station Permitting Guidebook

9/1/2020

This guidebook is comprised of six parts and is intended to help station developers and local jurisdictions navigate and streamline the infrastructure development process. It reflects the latest best practices collected from stations developers and local jurisdictions with experience in the hydrogen stations development process.

Authors: Brazil Vacin, G.; Eckerle, T.; Kashuba, M.

High-Potential Regions for Electric Truck Deployments

8/1/2020

Regional haul, heavy-duty trucking operations are good candidates for electrification due to the segment’s relatively short-hauls and return-to-base operations. Many early electric truck deployments have taken place in California, but as the market matures, fleets, utilities, manufacturers, policymakers, charging companies, and other industry stakeholders are seeking assistance to prioritize regions outside California for future deployments of this technology. This guidance report proposes a three-part framework that the industry can use to prioritize regions for electric truck deployments based on technology, need, and support.

Notes: This report is copyrighted and can be accessed through North American Council for Freight Efficiency website.

Evolution of Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in the United States

8/1/2020

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) has tracked alternative fueling and electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the United States since 1991. This paper explores the history of the AFDC Station Locator, which was launched in 1999, and discusses the growth of electric vehicle supply equipment. It also looks at how electric vehicle drivers access public charging, and evaluates challenges, gaps, and opportunities facing both electric vehicle drivers and the industry as a whole.

Authors: Brown, A.; Lommele, S.; Eger, R.; Schayowitz, A.

Electric Vehicles at Scale - Phase I Analysis: High Electric Vehicle Adoption Impacts on the Western U.S. Power Grid

7/1/2020

The use of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in the United States has grown significantly during the last decade. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory performed a study on how PEVs at scale affect the electric grid as an aggregated new load. The Phase I study focused on the bulk power electricity impacts on the Western grid. This analysis addresses the following two key questions: 1) Are there sufficient resources in the U.S. bulk power grid to provide the electricity for charging a growing PEV fleet? and 2) What are the likely operational changes necessary to accommodate a growing PEV fleet?

Authors: Kintner-Meyer, M.; Davis, S.; Sridhar, S.; Bhatnagar, D.; Mahserejian, S.; Ghosal, M.