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United States EV Market Summary: Q1 and Q2 2022
12/1/2022
Atlas Public Policy presents a market summary report for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities network. This report summarizes major developments in transportation electrification in the United States with a focus on activities during the first and second quarters of 2022.
Authors: Lepre, N.
Evaluation of Performance Variables to Accelerate the Deployment of Sustainable Aviation Fuels at a Regional Scale
11/19/2022
An increase in jet fuel consumption and its associated emissions across the world have led to the need for alternative technologies to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). One option to produce SAFs is to utilize waste or biomass-based feedstocks that has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% or more compared to conventional jet fuel. However, there is a lack of understanding of how the synergistic effects of key performance variables could hinder or help the deployment of aviation fuels on a regional scale. Here, we assess the implications of key variables–including type and quantity of waste/biomass feedstock availability, cost of SAF production, life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, policies, and fuel/infrastructure logistics–on the deployment of SAF at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Our sensitivity analysis shows renewable fuel incentives and feedstock price to be key performance variables affecting the production cost and deployment of SAF.
Authors: Bhatt, A.H.; Zhang, Y.; Milbrandt, A.; Newes, E.; Moriarty, K.; Klein, B.; Tao, L.
NREL Fleet Analysis Support Through Technology Integration Collaboration
11/7/2022
This study leveraged the partnership between the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities Coalition Network and the Association for the Work Truck Industry (NTEA) to launch a vehicle and fleet analysis project that assisted fleets in identifying opportunities to save energy, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet environmental goals via short term data logging and analysis. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) sought to establish a process that included initial data acquisition, provided data storage, and developed analytic methods to inform fleets of areas of opportunity based on approximately 30 days of in use vehicle performance data. However, long-term the project will require ongoing funding to fully develop and maintain the data sharing platform and to produce more complex analysis.
Authors: Lynch, L.; Payne, G.
Assessment of Light-Duty Plug-in Electric Vehicles in the United States, 2010 – 2021
11/1/2022
This report examines properties of electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the United States from 2010 to 2021, evaluating range, energy efficiency, costs, and performance. Given the vehicle characteristics, this report estimates miles driven, electricity consumption, petroleum reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions attributable to EVs. It also explores vehicle manufacturing and battery production, considering supply chains from battery cells to assembly.
Authors: Gohlke, D.; Zhou, Y.; Wu, X.; Courtney, C.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2022
10/13/2022
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2022 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 coordinators and stakeholders between July 1, 2022 and July 15, 2022, 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 increased 57 cents from $4.13 to $4.70; diesel increased 58 cents from $5.06 to $5.64; CNG increased 17 cents from $2.59 to $2.76; ethanol (E85) increased 39 cents from $3.54 to $3.93; propane increased 26 cents from $3.53 to $3.79; and biodiesel (B20) increased 72 cents from $4.62 to $5.34.
According to Table 3, CNG is $1.94 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis and E85 is 40 cents more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Assessment of Light-Duty EV Costs and Consumer Benefits in the United States in the 2022–2035 Time Frame
10/3/2022
This paper analyzes bottom-up vehicle component-level costs to assess average battery electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicle, and conventional vehicle prices across major U.S. light-duty vehicle classes through 2035. These cost estimates are used to evaluate broader consumer benefits, as well as to discuss the implications for vehicle emission regulations in the United States.
Authors: Slowik, P.; Isenstadt, A.; Pierce, L.; Searle, S.
Notes:
This copyrighted publication can be accessed on the International Council on Clean Transportation's website.
No Fleet Left Behind: Barriers and Opportunities for Small Fleet Zero-Emission Trucking
10/3/2022
This paper evaluates the zero-emission truck market and suggests actions to overcome barriers for adoption for small fleets. Failing to support small fleets would put them at risk of being unable to transition to zero-emission vehicles, in turn putting jurisdictions at risk of failing to achieve emissions reduction targets.
Authors: Brito, J.
Notes:
This copyrighted publication can be accessed on the International Council on Clean Transportation's website.
Techno-Economic, Feasibility, and Life Cycle Analysis of Renewable Propane: Final Report
10/1/2022
The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) has engaged with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop information that is critical to understanding the current and future landscape for renewable propane (RP) and the value proposition for recovery of RP from existing and planned HEFA biorefineries. In summary the following outcomes are identified from this study: (1) production of incremental RP by increasing the severity of the hydroisomerization step is insignificant to the overall propane yield from a HEFA biorefinery, however production of renewable butane (or LPG2) is quite significant thus suggesting alternate strategies for valorizing these fractions; (2) the value proposition for recovering RP and renewable LPG is quite strong, with capital recovery payback periods of 14 months for a small biorefinery producing 3.5 million gallons per year RP to as short as 2 months for a large biorefinery producing 87 million gallons per year RP. Paybacks for renewable LPG are as much as 50% shorter; and (3) current and projected expansions of renewable diesel will greatly expand the potential availability of RP as a by-product. Several promising new pathways are under development but will not significantly increase production of RP for the next decade.
Authors: Robert M. Baldwin, Mark R. Nimlos, and Yimin Zhang
Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making
10/1/2022
This report underscores the importance of public engagement when designing transportation projects and provides information about how transportation professionals can incorporate community engagement in transportation projects. The report discusses current gaps in public engagement, how communities can build public involvement capacity, how projects can measure the success of public engagement strategies, and techniques for meaningful community involvement.
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends from the Alternative Fueling Station Locator: First Quarter 2022
9/21/2022
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator contains information on public and private nonresidential alternative fueling stations in the United States and Canada and currently tracks ethanol (E85), biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electric vehicle (EV) charging, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, and propane stations. Of these fuels, EV charging continues to experience rapidly changing technology and growing infrastructure. This report provides a snapshot of the state of EV charging infrastructure in the United States in the first calendar quarter of 2022 (Q1). Using data from the Station Locator, this report breaks down the growth of public and private charging infrastructure by charging level, network, and location. Additionally, this report measures the current state of charging infrastructure compared with two different 2030 infrastructure requirement scenarios. 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 ninth report in a series.
Authors: Brown, A.; Cappellucci, J.; Schayowitz, A.; White, E.; Heinrich, A.; Cost, E.
Title Utility Transportation Electrification Planning— Emerging Practices to Support EV Deployment
9/1/2022
Utilities are expecting millions of new electric vehicles (EVs) to hit the road over the next decade. To accelerate and adapt to this shift, they are planning increased investments in the grid, greater outreach to customers, special rates for EV charging, and direct investments in transportation electrification (e.g., charging infrastructure and vehicle purchases). This report examines a select sample of utility transportation electrification planning efforts to identify emerging trends and make recommendations on the planning process.
Authors: Huether, P.; Cohn, C.; Jennings, B.
Duluth Transit Authority Battery-Electric Bus Evaluation
9/1/2022
In 2018, Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) began operating a fleet of seven battery-electric buses (BEBs) in its service area of Duluth, Minnesota. DTA is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. The focus of the evaluation is to compare performance and cost of the BEBs to that of conventional technology in similar service and track progress over time. DTA enlisted the help of the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) to manage the project and provide technical services with the BEB fleet and infrastructure. This report contains a combination of analyses performed by NREL and by CTE.
Authors: Jeffers, M.; Eudy, L.; Bigelow, E.; Olberding, G.; Posner, A.
Cracking the Code to EV Readiness in New Buildings
9/1/2022
While incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure have contributed to growth in EV adoption, building codes are effective tools to advance “EV-readiness” by requiring new construction to support convenient EV charging. This paper presents considerations, guidance, and examples for municipalities and other jurisdictions establishing policies for EV readiness in new buildings. It provides an introduction to EV readiness in building codes and discusses best practices in infrastructure development such as intelligent load sharing. It presents an overview of why and how EV readiness was incorporated into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Further, it includes case studies of municipal codes and a utility program that partners with builders to incentivize EV readiness in new homes. Finally, it summarizes key opportunities for advancing transportation electrification through EV-ready building codes.
Authors: Banwell, P.; Steiner, K.; Miller, K.; Kelly, E.; Kay, S.; Noblet, S.
2022 Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment and Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development
9/1/2022
California's Assembly Bill 8 requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to assess the size of the current and future fuel cell electric vehicle fleet annually, based on vehicle registrations with the Department of Motor Vehicles, auto manufacturer responses to ARB surveys of projected future sales, and current and future hydrogen fuel station locations and capacity. This information informs the state’s decisions for future funding of hydrogen fuel stations, including the number and location of stations as well as minimum technical requirements for those stations.
Design Recommendations for Accessible EV Charging Stations
8/11/2022
This technical assistance document covers Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) accessibility requirements applicable to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It provides multiple recommendations for designing accessible EV charging stations by offering guidance on elements not addressed in the current ADA and ABA. This technical assistance will aid in the development of a national network of EV charging stations that is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The technical assistance document is a valuable resource for those involved in the planning, designing, building, installing, and use of EV charging stations, including state and local governments, designers and developers, electrical and construction professionals, equipment manufacturers, automakers, utility providers, charge point operators and e-mobility service providers, EV owners, and people with disabilities.
