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Clean Cities and Communities Overview
12/26/2024
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.
Clean Cities and Communities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2024
12/9/2024
The Clean Cities and Communities Alternative Fuel Price Report for October 2024 is a quarterly report on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue describes prices that were gathered from Clean Cities and Communities coalition directors and stakeholders between October 1, 2024 and October 15, 2024, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has decreased 28 cents from $3.53 to $3.25; diesel decreased 23 cents from $3.87 to $3.64; CNG decreased 1 cent from $2.92 to $2.91; ethanol (E85) decreased 25 cents from $2.99 to $2.74; propane decreased 7 cents from $3.42 to $3.35; and biodiesel (B20) decreased 20 cents from $3.73 to $3.53.
According to Table 3, CNG is 34 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 31 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Carias, L.
Model Year 2025 Fuel Economy Guide: EPA Fuel Economy Estimates
12/4/2024
The Fuel Economy Guide is published by the U.S. Department of Energy as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The Guide lists estimates of miles per gallon (mpg) for each vehicle available for the new model year. These estimates are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with Federal Law. By using this Guide, consumers can estimate the average yearly fuel cost for any vehicle. The Guide is intended to help consumers compare the fuel economy of similarly sized cars, light duty trucks and special purpose vehicles.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Blending and Logistics
11/25/2024
Decarbonizing aviation requires a multipronged approach in both alternative fuel use and efficiency to meet emissions reductions and sustainability requirements and goals. In 2022, aviation accounted for 2.1% of human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions and 12% of transportation CO2 emissions (ATAG 2024). About 80% of aviation emissions are from flights longer than about 930 miles (ATAG 2024). Aviation was also responsible for 9% of domestic transportation greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 (EPA 2022). The United States has a significant commercial aviation sector accounting for nearly 28% of global jet fuel use (IATA 2024b, EIA 2024g).
Authors: Moriarty, K.; McCormick, R.
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends from the Alternative Fueling Station Locator: Second Quarter 2024
11/18/2024
Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the United States continues to rapidly change and grow. Using data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator, this report provides a snapshot of the state of EV charging infrastructure in the United States in the second calendar quarter of 2024 by charging level, network, location, housing density, and disadvantaged community designation. Additionally, this report measures the current state of charging infrastructure compared with a federal infrastructure requirement scenario. This information is intended to help transportation planners, policymakers, researchers, infrastructure developers, and others understand the rapidly changing landscape of EV charging infrastructure. This is the 18th report in a series.
Authors: Brown, A.; Cappellucci, J.; Gaus, M.; Buleje, H.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge Roadmap Implementation Framework
11/1/2024
Announced in September 2021, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge is a governmentwide initiative to drive innovation in the domestic SAF industry. The goals of the SAF Grand Challenge seek to achieve lower costs, enhanced sustainability, and expanded production of SAF across the United States. This implementation framework report inventories and maps the current federal capacity to act on the steps laid out in the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap published in September 2022. This report is intended to inform relevant stakeholders of federal capabilities and programs that will advance the goals laid out in the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap, importantly highlighting any current barriers or areas for improvement within federal agency programming.
Authors: William Goldner, Justin Bredlau, Prem Lobo, Valerie Reed, Zia Haq, Craig Brown
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.
SAF Policy Scorecard: Evaluating State-Level Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policies in the United States
11/1/2024
As several states across the U.S. have begun to adopt or consider policies to expand sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development, this paper compares key provisions for state-level policies, analyzes the state support available to fund each policy initiative, and assesses the potential of each policy to support federal goals of decarbonization, sustainability, and equity. This report also highlights three critical shortcomings in the current U.S. SAF policy landscape: 1) state support for some SAF pathways may not increase overall low-carbon fuel supply; 2) short-term or short-lived policies may impede long-term SAF investment; and 3) existing SAF policy frameworks incentivize the use of SAF without penalizing aviation emissions, violating the “polluter pays” principle.
Authors: Andy Navarrete, Nikita Pavlenko, Jane O'Malley
Electric Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Attributes and Development
11/1/2024
This report focuses on charging and infrastructure requirements for medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) vehicles in addition to potential synergies with light-duty vehicle (LDV) infrastructure. As electric vehicle (EV) deployments are more mature in the LDV sectors than MD/HD, quantitative inputs for modeling requirements for MD/HD are also still in development. That said, this report presents more qualitative analyses than quantitative. Specifically, the report covers vehicle classes, populations, and types of charging; MD/HD dwelling at depots vs. residences; and en-route MD/HD charging infrastructure, including electrical and physical space needs, connectors, and payment, pricing, and grid considerations. The report also provides considerations for appropriate fleet targeting for vehicle electrification.
Authors: Bonnie Powell, Caley Johnson, Arthur Yip, Amy Snelling
Enhancing User Experience in Public Electric Vehicle Charging
11/1/2024
With individual states beginning to adopt electric vehicle (EV) sales targets, meeting public charging needs will require increasing the quantity and ease-of-use of publicly accessible EV chargers. This report assesses the current state of public charging infrastructure across the US, Canada, and Europe, with a focus on three key factors: availability, reliability, and interoperability. The report analyzes availability from a viewpoint of public charging’s accessibility as well as its correlation with income, unemployment, and proximity to communities with high percentages of people of color. The report also focuses on reliability-centered policies. Lastly, the report analyzes hardware and software interoperability to identify gaps in current public charging infrastructure.
Authors: Marie Rajon Bernard, Sonsoles Diaz, Irem Kok, Uwe Tietge
Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Sustainable Aviation Fuel
11/1/2024
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began publishing its Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Report series, which provides roadmaps for both the public and private sectors to scale the domestic industries of each alternative fuel type, specifically for fuel-related technologies that will accelerate transportation-specific decarbonization. This report, the newest in the series, offers a roadmap for scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The report provides an overview and value proposition; the current state of SAF technologies and markets; pathways towards industry scale; industry action items; metrics to track progress; and more. This document is also intended to exist as a living document, with the DOE updating strategies as research and development progresses.
Authors: Campbell Howe, Elizabeth Rolfes, Dr. Katelyn O'Dell, Dr. Brandon McMurty, Sonali Razdan, Dr. Anne Otwell
Guidance for Ethical Engagement in and with Communities
10/22/2024
“Guidance for Ethical Engagement in and with Communities” is a resource for any organization conducting community engagement, including Clean Cities and Communities coalitions. The resource provides guidance on ethics considerations in the design, structure, implementation, and analysis of engagement activities as well as following up after project completion. These considerations help organizations safeguard the rights and well-being of participants and ensure the integrity and validity of the project results.
Authors: Nicole Rosner
Clean Cities and Communities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2024
10/2/2024
The Clean Cities and Communities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2024 is a quarterly report on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue describes prices that were gathered from Clean Cities and Communities coalition directors and stakeholders between July 1, 2024 and July 15, 2024, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 2 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has decreased 12 cents from $3.65 to $3.53; diesel decreased 20 cents from $4.07 to $3.87; CNG increased 2 cents from $2.90 to $2.92; ethanol (E85) increased 3 cents from $2.96 to $2.99; propane decreased 3 cents from $3.45 to $3.42; and biodiesel (B20) decreased 21 cents from $3.94 to $3.73.
According to Table 3, CNG is 61 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 36 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Carias, L.
Electric Vehicle Sales and the Charging Infrastructure Required Through 2035
10/1/2024
This report estimates the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment needed to support the EV market through 2035. It projects the number of EVs on U.S. roads to reach 78.5 million in 2035 and that nearly 42.2 million charge ports will be needed to support the projected number of EVs. Approximately 325,000 direct current fast charging ports will be needed to support the level of EVs expected to be on U.S. roads in 2035.
Authors: Maiorana, J.; Satterfield, C.; Schefte, K.
ChargeX Prescribed Testing Program at CharIN June 2024 Testival: Outcomes and Future Recommendations
9/30/2024
In June 2024, the ChargeX Consortium, which includes the Argonne, Idaho, and National Renewable Energy Laboratories, organized a voluntary testing program for electric vehicle (EV) and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) manufacturers to trial new technologies in a combined space. This report documents the design and execution of the testing program, outlining effective strategies for future events focused on research and development for EV, EVSE, and EV-EVSE interoperability technology.
Authors: Sam Thurston
