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Clean Cities and Communities Partnership 2023 Activity Report
1/16/2025
Clean Cities and Communities (CC&C) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership within the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Technology Integration (TI) Program. CC&C advances clean transportation nationwide through collaboration with communities by building partnerships with public and private stakeholders to create equitable deployment of clean transportation solutions that advance the nation’s environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. These efforts help businesses and consumers make smarter and more informed transportation energy choices that can save energy, lower costs, provide resilience through fuel diversification, and reduce emissions. This report summarizes the success and impact of partnership activities based on data and information provided in their 2023 annual reports.
Authors: Singer, M.; Johnson, C.; Wilson, A.; Reichelt, L.; Abdullah, M.; Downs Dybas, N.
Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Clean Hydrogen
12/1/2024
The clean hydrogen economy is poised to achieve liftoff by 2030, although the timing of liftoff varies by end use application. Industrial and chemical use cases—such as ammonia and petrochemical production, in which production can be co-located with utilization—might see near-term expansion by 2026. Mobility and transportation use cases, such as heavy- and medium-duty trucking, might require additional cost reductions and infrastructure build-out so that liftoff can occur in the 2030s. Over the last year, tailwinds and headwinds have emerged that affect the pathways and timing for clean hydrogen’s commercial liftoff. This 2024 report update summarizes those dynamics and provides an updated fact-based view as to how the United States can scale its clean hydrogen economy.
Authors: Campbell Howe, Dr. Katelyn O'Dell, Neha Rustagi, Dr. Theresa Christian
The 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975
11/1/2024
This report represents the 50th in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Automotive Trends Report series, which provides the U.S. public with up-to-date information on light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fuel economy, technology data, and manufacturers’ performance in meeting the agency’s GHG emissions standards. This edition of the Automotive Trends Report series covers 50 years of fleetwide trends, vehicle attributes and technologies, and manufacturer GHG program compliance.
U.S. EPA Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
9/1/2024
Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) contribute 25% of the U.S. transportation sector’s emissions. To reduce these emissions numbers, on April 22, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new greenhouse gas emissions standards for HDVs, requiring a 60% emission reduction per ton-mile of freight moved by up to 60% for vocational trucks and up to 40% for tractor trucks by 2032 compared with 2027 levels. This report details the projected benefits of the EPA’s ruling and highlights key elements of the plan, such as the emissions standards themselves, as well as finances, fuel use, electric vehicle battery logistics, and more.
Authors: Yihao Xie
Hydrogen Policy's Narrow Path: Delusions & Solutions
8/27/2024
This report examines the growing hydrogen fuel industry within the U.S., providing key takeaways regarding hydrogen’s role in a clean economy, as well as a series of demand-side policy recommendations to boost hydrogen’s uptake in competitive areas, and its adoption in applications where hydrogen is less likely to compete with other alternative clean energy technologies. Where possible, the report offers technology-neutral policy recommendations to support a widescale expansion of hydrogen use. The report ultimately summarizes hydrogen’s use in 12 end-use sectors, detailing hydrogen’s emission reduction potential, infrastructure requirements, social impacts, and strengths and weaknesses.
Authors: Dan Esposito
Powering Progress: Advancing Transportation Electrification in Rural Southeastern Communities
7/1/2024
This report follows up on a 2022 Electrification Coalition report, Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Rural Communities, in addressing common roadblocks to transportation electrification in the rural, Southeast U.S. by providing case study examples of how communities have overcome these challenges. As rural communities are particularly susceptible to the effects of oil-dominated transportation systems, examples of successful electrification pathways are critical to wide-reaching EV deployment.
Pollutant Emissions from Light-Duty Vehicles Across North America: A Comparative Analysis
7/1/2024
Drawing on remote sensing data from the Real Urban Emissions Initiatives as well as the Clean Air Strategic Alliance’s ROVER III campaign, this report provides up-to-date vehicle emissions data for several pollutants (hydrocarbons [HC], carbon monoxide [CO], and nitrogen oxide [NO]) in Colorado, Virginia, Mexico City, and Alberta, Canada. The report compares data by vehicle category (i.e., light-duty vehicles, personal vehicles, and taxis), vehicle manufacturer, vehicle acceleration, and more. By providing emissions measurement information, such as the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure during which measurements were taken, the report offers insights into how different climatic conditions may affect vehicle emissions.
Authors: Kira O’Hare; Michelle Meyer; Yoann Bernard
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) State-of-Industry Report: State of SAF Production Process
7/1/2024
Because of their compatibility with existing fuel infrastructure and vehicle technologies, biofuels will be a critical component of decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors in the U.S. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will similarly be a changemaker in the aviation industry. This study examines the various SAF production pathways, provides an overview of the current state of the industry, and addresses challenges and hurdles facing the industry in order to proactively mitigate their impact.
Authors: Oscar Rosales Calderon, Ling Tao, Zia Abdullah, Kristi Moriarty, Sharon Smolinski
Navigating Options for Transportation Electrification and Solar Charging: Steps and Lessons Learned in Montana Communities
6/1/2024
Drawing on analysis and outreach in three Montana communities (Missoula, Bozeman, and Whitefish), this report provides guidance and best practices for other towns and cities across the country on how to effectively implement electric vehicle (EV) transportation options into their communities. The report incorporates logistical considerations—vehicle types, chargers, electricity generation—and useful strategies—effective stakeholder engagement, coordinating EV charging and renewable energy generation, and more—to cover the technological, economic, and environmental aspects of the transition to EVs.
Authors: Andrew Valainis; Kyla Maki; Chase Jones; Natalie Meyer; Amy Cilimburg
Solar Power + Electric Vehicle Charging: Capturing Synergies in Minnesota
6/1/2024
A suite of aggressive climate action legislation, including a series of solar development commitments, has contributed to Minnesota reducing the carbon intensity of its power sector by 29% over 2013 levels. However, the carbon footprint of each sector has not dropped equally. In 2018, the transportation sector overtook power generation as the leading emissions producer statewide. The same focus on solar energy—combined with electric vehicle (EV) use—offers a vital opportunity for Minnesota to decrease transportation emissions. The analysis in this report examines the underdeveloped synthesis between solar production and EV charging, presenting seven key findings paired with relevant recommendations to transform the market and decrease transportation-based emissions.
Authors: Brian Ross; Katelyn Bocklund; Matthew Prorok; Dane McFarlane; Abby Finis
Clean Cities and Communities Overview
4/26/2024
Clean Cities and Communities is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnership to advance clean transportation nationwide. More than 75 DOE-designated Clean Cities and Communities coalitions work locally in urban, suburban, and rural communities to strengthen the nation's environment, energy security, and economic prosperity. As partners with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office, coalitions work to deploy affordable, efficient, and clean transportation; energy efficient mobility systems; and fuel-saving technologies and practices.
The Role of Biofuels and Biomass Feedstocks for Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050
4/11/2024
Bioenergy holds significant potential to transform the transportation sector, helping to eliminate hard-to-abate sources of emissions, such as aviation, that lack viable electrification alternatives. Further, integrating more biomass-based electrification pathways will diversify the country’s electrical grid, increasing its stability in the future. This study uses process-based analyses of biomass resources and pathways to demonstrate the decarbonization potential and cost-efficiency of scaling bioenergy in the United States.
Advance Local Mobility Through Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Technologies
3/25/2024
Everyone deserves reliable, affordable, and safe transportation to connect people to jobs, healthcare, education, and recreation. Our transportation systems are interconnected, multimodal networks working together to move people and goods. These systems are dynamic and are being reshaped by factors such as population trends, new technologies, shifting labor models, economic forces, and changing climate. Energy efficient mobility systems (EEMS) technologies can help transportation planners ensure changes in our transportation systems are equitable and sustainable by improving energy efficiency, travel time, and affordability, as well as overall access to mobility. Transportation planners and decision makers can use the following EEMS tools and strategies to advance local mobility.
Authors: Reichelt, L.
Delivering Clean Air in Denver: Propane Trucks and Infrastructure in Mail Delivery Application
3/1/2024
This report analyzes the emission reductions, costs, and operational performances of six medium-duty propane Autogas delivery trucks that were deployed in Colorado in 2021 and compares them to conventional diesel vehicles. These vehicles were deployed with a goal of providing a proof-of-concept demonstration for mail delivery fleets around the country, and the analysis found that the new propane vehicles represented cost-effective and cleaner vehicle operations for fleets. The results of this program could be replicated by other commercial fleet operators in this vocation and other.
Authors: Kotz, A; Jeffers, M; Fakhimi, S; Miller. E; Squires, A; Meintsma, S; Mladenovic, K; Trowbridge, B; Woodruff, H
