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Assessment of Prospective Mileage-Based Fee System to Replace Fuel Taxes for Passenger Vehicles in Pennsylvania
3/1/2021
Historically, transportation infrastructure in the United States has been funded through a per-gallon fuel tax levied at the state- and federal-levels. The federal fuel tax has remained constant over the last thirty years, even as road construction and maintenance costs have risen steeply in that time. This funding gap is widened by advances in hybrid and electric vehicle technology, which have significantly improved fleet fuel-economy and reduced revenue from fuel tax. To address this, an increasing number of jurisdictions are considering programs where vehicles are taxed per-mile traveled, rather than per-gallon of fuel consumed. These mileage-based user fees (MBUFs) could replace federal and state fuel taxes and reduce the deficit in transportation infrastructure funding. This report develops high-resolution estimates of annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per vehicle aggregated at the state, county, and zip code level. Based on these estimates of VMT and fuel economy, researchers estimate the annual cost to vehicle owners of the existing fuel tax, and compare this cost against the cost of MBUF’s, at various rates.
Authors: Matthews, H. S.; Fischbeck, P. S.; Yuan, C.; Fan, Z.; Lyu, L.; Acharya, P. S.
User Perceptions of the Risks of Electric, Shared, and Automated Vehicles Remain Largely Unexplored
2/12/2021
Advocates of electric, shared, and automated vehicles (e-SAVs) envision a future in which people no longer need to drive their privately owned, petroleum-fueled vehicles. Instead, for daily travel they rely on fleets of electric, automated vehicles that offer travel services, including the option to share, or “pool,” rides with strangers. The design, deployment, and operation of e-SAVs will require widespread willingness of users to share with strangers vehicles that are capable of fully automated driving. To achieve the environmental and societal goals of e-SAVs it is critical to first understand and address safety and security concerns of potential and actual users. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, reviewed the literature to understand potential users’ perceptions of safety and security risks posed by intertwined social and technical systems of e-SAVs and proposed a framework to advance research, policy, and system design. This policy brief summarizes the findings of that work and provides policy implications.
Authors: Kurani, K.
Transportation Electrification in North Carolina
2/1/2021
This brief provides an overview of the state of the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market and deployment in North Carolina while also highlighting travel patterns and transit agency statistics, along with snapshots of PEV policy and program examples from other states. Statewide transportation electrification roadmaps and funding available through the Volkswagen Settlement have generated momentum in North Carolina and can be harnessed to accelerate the PEV market across the state and position it as a regional and national leader.
Authors: Smith, C.
National Park Service Bus Electrification Study: 2020 Report
2/1/2021
This report summarizes important considerations for implementing battery electric buses (BEBs) in the three national park fleets, detailing information about current buses at each fleet, electric bus demonstration vehicles, and performance evaluations of BEBs in Zion, Bryce, and Yosemite. Results include in-use data collection metrics such as average bus speed, energy usage per trip, and daily distance traveled. Also covered are effects of high heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system use to both heat and cool the buses, emissions estimations before and after use of electric buses, operating costs, electric vehicle infrastructure, maintenance, and bus driver user experience survey information.
Authors: Gilleran, M.; Kotz, A.; Eudy, L.; Kelly, K.
EV Charging Needs Assessment: Identifying Needs and Opportunities for EV Fast Charging in Rural and Underserved Areas of the Intermountain West
2/1/2021
Corridors of the West (CORWest) is a three-year initiative to support plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure investment and educational opportunities in rural and underserved areas of the intermountain west. A key first step under the project is to understand barriers to PEV adoption and, more specifically, direct current (DC) fast charger station deployment in rural and underserved areas of the intermountain west, and identify potential pathways for addressing these barriers. To understand barriers to EV adoption and station deployment in rural and underserved areas, the CORWest project team developed a questionnaire that was disseminated to select stakeholder groups to gather feedback. This report provides a summary of trends and typical issues being faced in the region and offers recommendations for ways to address high-priority needs and support PEV deployment and DC fast charger investment.
Authors: Powers, C.
Final Technical Report-WestSmart EV: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership
1/19/2021
The WestSmartEV (WSEV) project has accelerated adoption of electric vehicles (EV) throughout the PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power’s service territory in the intermountain west by developing a large-scale, sustainable EV charging infrastructure network with coordinated EV adoption programs. The project objectives have strategically deployed 79 direct current fast charging to create two primary electric interstate highway corridors along I-15 and I-80. Additionally, it has incentivized installation of Level 2 chargers at workplace locations, incentivized the purchase of EVs, provided all electric solutions for first- and last-mile trips, provided centralized data collection, analysis, modeling, and tool development to inform investment and policy decisions, and developed education outreach materials and conducted workshops across the WSEV region. This report summarizes the WSEV project efforts.
Authors: Campbell, James
The Shape of Electrified Transportation
1/1/2021
For more than a century, petroleum fuels have been relied upon to move people and goods within and between towns and cities, and on roads, railways, farms, waterways, and in the air. These fuels have provided reliable and convenient mobility options to power the modern global economy. However, these benefits have also created challenges associated with geopolitics, energy security, price volatility, and environmental impacts. Electric vehicles could dramatically disrupt the transportation energy demand landscape. Such a change comes with its own challenges and benefits. This report summarizes the trends driving vehicle electrification and explores the associated challenges and benefits.
Authors: Muratori, M.; Mai, T.
Electrification Futures Study: Scenarios of Power System Evolution and Infrastructure Development for the United States
1/1/2021
This report is the fifth publication in a series of Electrification Futures Study (EFS) publications. The report presents scenarios of the U.S. electricity and energy systems through 2050. The scenarios encompass a wide range of future conditions, including the different electrification levels that were developed for the second EFS report. The scenario results include projected changes to the physical infrastructure of the U.S. power system, the utilization of that infrastructure, and estimates of other impacts of electrification to the power system and broader energy system.
Authors: Murphy, C.; Mai, T.; Sun, Y.; Jadun, P.; Muratori, M.; Nelson, B.; Jones, R.
EV Charging and Public/Private Partnerships: RFP Template
1/1/2021
An effective request for proposal (RFP) is often the critical first step towards transportation electrification. This RFP template from Forth Mobility provides essential guidance for cities seeking to expand their electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, especially for projects intended to be owned and operated by a partner vendor at low- or no-cost to the city. The RFP template will assist cities and EV charging infrastructure deployment partners in creating measurable project goals and having a better understanding of what is being asked of them. Further, Forth Mobility has designed the RFP template to support cities in collaborating with the private sector not only to expand EV infrastructure, but also to strengthen public-private partnerships through flexibility and goal fulfillment. Specifically, the RFP template offers cities and private-sector partners guidance on site ownership, payment models, and potential site locations.
Authors: Erin Galiger
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends from the Alternative Fueling Station Locator: Second Quarter 2020
1/1/2021
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator contains information on public and private non-residential 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 second calendar quarter of 2020. 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 the amount projected to meet charging demand by 2030. This information is intended to help transportation planners, policymakers, researchers, infrastructure developers, and others understand the rapidly changing landscape for EV charging.
Authors: Brown, A.; Lommele, S.; Schayowitz, A.; Klotz, E.
Developing Markets for Zero Emission Vehicles in Short Haul Goods Movement
12/10/2020
This report examines the potential market share for zero emission heavy duty trucks (ZEHDTs) via simulation modeling, case studies, interviews, and a survey. It assesses the impacts of ZEHDTs on freight operations. Additionally, it compares the costs and benefits of using diesel, natural gas hybrid, and all-electric vehicles for 2020, 2025, and 2030. Lastly, this report presents recommendations for promoting and increasing the market share of ZEHDTs and hybrids.
Authors: Giuliano, G., Dessouky, M., Dexter, S., Fang, J., Hu, S., Steimetz, S.
Notes:
This copyrighted publication can be accessed through the University of California, Davis National Center for Sustainable Transportation website.
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.
Affordability of Household Transportation Fuel Costs by Region and Socioeconomic Factors
12/1/2020
Transportation energy is an important component of household budgets. Vehicle fuel is over 3% of total household expenditures nationwide in the United States. The average annual expenditure of over $2,000 for vehicle fuel (mostly gasoline) is comparable to the total average household expenditures for electricity and natural gas combined. However, these average values vary geographically, and lower income households can face higher energy cost burdens. This study reveals the variation of household energy burdens across the country and provides localized data to support local decision making.
Authors: Zhou, Y.; Aeschliman, S.; Gohlke, D.
