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Renewable Fuel Standard: Information on Likely Program Effects on Gasoline Prices and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
6/3/2019
This report examines what is known about the effect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has had to date on retail gasoline prices in the United States, the RFS’s effect on greenhouse gas emissions, and whether the RFS will meet its goals for reducing those emissions. The report also details how renewable identification numbers (RINs) are used to show compliance with the RFS, historical RIN prices, how RINs affect retail fuel prices, and steps the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken to improve the RIN market.
Clean Cities Coalitions 2017 Activity Report
5/14/2019
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) national network of Clean Cities Coalitions advance the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to promote the use of domestic fuels within transportation. The nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions, whose territory covers 80% of the U.S. population, bring together stakeholders in the public and private sectors to use alternative and renewable fuels, idle-reduction (IR) measures, fuel economy improvements, and new transportation technologies as they emerge. To ensure success, coalitions leverage a robust set of expert resources and tools provided by national laboratories and DOE. Each year, Clean Cities coordinators submit annual reports of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Data and information are submitted via an online tool that is maintained as part of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Coordinators submit a range of data that characterize the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions. They also submit data about sales of alternative fuels; use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs); IR initiatives; fuel economy improvement activities; and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). NREL analyzes the submitted data to determine how broadly energy use in the U.S. has shifted due to coalition activities, which are summarized in this report.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Singer, M.
Metals Analysis of Biodiesel Blends
5/1/2019
The goal of this study was to compare metals analysis methods for biodiesel blends. Thirty-five B20 samples were collected from public stations and private fleets throughout the United States. All samples were analyzed for blend content and critical properties under the ASTM D7467 specification. Although not part of the specification, metals content, specifically Na, K, Ca, Mg, and P, is becoming an increasingly larger concern for industry. This study compared the metals content of the B20 samples using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) methods. All three techniques showed improvements over the current detection limits of 1 ppm for Na, K, Ca, and Mg, and 5 ppm for P. Some differences were found between methods, but agreement was generally acceptable at the very low levels present in these samples. The MP-AES technique showed good promise for future development for this type of analysis.
Authors: Alleman, T.L.; Fouts, L.; Christensen, E.D.
Fleet Compliance Annual Report: Model Year 2017, Fiscal Year 2018
3/27/2019
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 2017 / fiscal year 2018.
Fleet Compliance Annual Report: Model Year 2016, Fiscal Year 2017
3/27/2019
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 2016 / fiscal year 2017.
Assessing Ride-Hailing Company Commitments to Electrification
2/7/2019
This briefing assesses electric vehicle adoption among five of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. It discusses company-specific electric vehicle adoption, examines plans for future growth, and catalogs the unique actions that companies are exploring to promote electric ride-hailing on their platforms.
Authors: Slowik, P.; Fedirko, L.; Lutsey, N.
The Plug-In Electric Vehicle Tax Credit
11/7/2018
Buyers of qualifying plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) may be able to claim a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. This fact sheet provides an overview of the PEV tax credit and briefly discusses relevant economic policy considerations.
Authors: Sherlock, M.F.
Clean Cities Coalitions 2016 Activity Report
10/10/2018
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) national network of Clean Cities Coalitions advance the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to promote the use of domestic fuels within transportation. The nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions, whose territory covers 80% of the U.S. population, bring together stakeholders in the public and private sectors to use alternative and renewable fuels, idle-reduction (IR) measures, fuel economy improvements, and new transportation technologies as they emerge. To ensure success, coalitions leverage a robust set of expert resources and tools provided by national laboratories and DOE. Each year, Clean Cities coordinators submit annual reports of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Data and information are submitted via an online tool that is maintained as part of the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Coordinators submit a range of data that characterize the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions. They also submit data about sales of alternative fuels; use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs); IR initiatives; fuel economy improvement activities; and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). NREL analyzes the submitted data to determine how broadly energy use in the U.S. has shifted due to coalition activities, which are summarized in this report.
Authors: Johnson, C.; Singer, M.
Policies that Impact the Acceleration of Electric Vehicle Adoption
9/26/2018
To better understand the influence of policy initiatives that relate to electric vehicles (EVs) have on accelerated deployment, this project focused on a number of successful public and private initiatives and policies designed to encourage the adoption of EVs and related infrastructure. This report highlights programs that have influenced adoption, provides a critique of best practices, and includes references to databases EV policy initiatives.
Authors: Kettles, C.
A Life-Cycle Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn-Based Ethanol
9/5/2018
This analysis, conducted by ICF for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This report has analyzed the current GHG profile of U.S. corn ethanol and two projected emissions profiles for 2022. The starting point is the GHG life-cycle analysis (LCA) done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2010 for U.S. corn ethanol as part of its Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the Revised Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). In the RIA, EPA projected that in 2022, the life cycle emissions associated with ethanol would be 21 percent lower than those of an energy equivalent quantity of gasoline.
The Zero Emission Vehicle Regulation
8/24/2018
This fact sheet provides an overview of California’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) regulation, which is designed to achieve the state’s long-term emission reduction goals by requiring manufacturers to offer for sale specific numbers of the very cleanest cars available. The ZEV regulation has been adopted by other states.
The Role of Demand-Side Incentives and Charging Infrastructure on Plug-in Electric Vehicle Adoption: Analysis of US States. Paper No. 074032
7/13/2018
In the U.S., over 400 state and local incentives have been issued to increase the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) since 2008. This article quantifies the influence of key incentives and enabling factors like charging infrastructure and receptive demographics on PEV adoption. The study focuses on three central questions. First, do consumers respond to certain types of state level vehicle purchase incentives? Second, does the density of public charging infrastructure increase PEV purchases? Finally, does the impact of various factors differ for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV) and vehicle attributes within each category? Based on a regression of vehicle purchase data from 2008 to 2016, we found that tax incentives and charging infrastructure significantly influence per capita PEV purchases. Within tax incentives, rebates are generally more effective than tax credits. BEV purchases are more affected by tax incentives than PHEVs. The correlation of public charging and vehicle purchases increases with the battery-only driving range of a PHEV, while decreasing with increasing driving range of BEVs. Results indicate that early investments in charging infrastructure, particularly along highways; tax incentives targeting BEVs at the lower end of the price premium and PHEVs with higher battery only driving range, and better reflection of the environmental cost of owning gasoline vehicles are likely to increase PEV adoption in the U.S.
Authors: Narassimhan, E.; Johnson, C.
Notes:
This journal article (Environmental Research Letters, Volume 13, Number 7) is copyrighted by IOP Publishing and can be downloaded from the IOPScience website.
State of the States: Fuel Cells in America 2017, 8th Edition
5/23/2018
This January 2018 report, the eighth in a series, provides a comprehensive analysis of state activities supporting fuel cell and hydrogen technology, including profiles of all 50 states with a catalog of recent installations, policies, funding, and deployments around the country.
Authors: Curtin, S.; Gangi, J.
The Dynamics of PEVs in the Secondary Market and Their Implications for Vehicle Demand, Durability, and Emissions
4/13/2018
California is one of the first markets in the world to have a significant secondary market for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). This study examines the status of the nascent secondary PEV market in California. It reviews who purchases these vehicles and how used PEVs are utilized. It also examines the role of PEV purchase incentives via surveys of used PEV buyers and by analyzing the purchase behavior for used vehicles nationwide and in California.
Authors: Turrentine, T.; Tal, G.; Rapson, D.
