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Quadrennial Technology Review 2015
9/1/2015
The 2015 Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR) examines the status of the science and technology that are the foundation of our energy system, together with the research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) opportunities to advance them. It focuses primarily on technologies with commercialization potential in the midterm and beyond. It frames various trade-offs that all energy technologies must balance across such dimensions as cost, security and reliability of supply, diversity, environmental impacts, land use, and materials use. Additionally, it provides data and analysis on RDD&D pathways to assist decision makers as they set priorities, within budget constraints, to develop more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy services.
Plugged In: How Americans Charge Their Electric Vehicles
9/1/2015
The U.S. Department of Energy's EV Project and the ChargePoint America project, combined, formed the largest PEV infrastructure demonstration in the world. Between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2013, this combined project installed nearly 17,000 alternating current (AC) Level 2 charging stations for residential and commercial use and over 100 dual-port direct current (DC) fast chargers in 22 regions across the United States. This report is a summary of the findings from these projects.
Primer on Motor Fuel Excise Taxes and the Role of Alternative Fuels and Energy Efficient Vehicles
8/24/2015
Motor fuel taxes were established to finance our nation's transportation infrastructure, yet evolving economic, political, and technological influences are constraining this ability. At the federal level, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is primarily funded by motor fuel taxes, has become increasingly dependent on general fund contributions and short-term reauthorizations to prevent insolvency. As a result, there are discussions at both the federal and state levels in which stakeholders are examining the future of motor fuel excise taxes as well as the role of electric and alternative fuel vehicles in that future.
This report intends to provide an overview of motor fuel taxation, review its specific relationship to alternative fuel use and vehicle efficiency, and outline approaches that a number of states have taken to address these issues. The specific focus is on motor fuels used in over-the-road transportation, which accounted for approximately 82% of all energy used for transportation in the United States in 2014 (EIA 2015a). The report primarily provides context around federal fuel tax rules and rates, but analogies can be drawn to individual state programs.
Authors: Schroeder, A
Long-Haul Truck Idling Burns Up Profits
8/12/2015
Long-haul truck drivers perform a vitally important service. In the course of their work, they must take rest periods as required by federal law. Most drivers remain in their trucks, which they keep running to provide power for heating, cooling, and other necessities. Such idling, however, comes at a cost; it is an expensive and polluting way to keep drivers safe and comfortable. Increasingly affordable alternatives to idling not only save money and reduce pollution, but also help drivers get a better night's rest.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2015
7/31/2015
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for July 2015 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, 2015, and July 15, 2015, 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 40 cents from $2.42 to $2.82; diesel increased 5 cents from $2.88 to $2.93; CNG increased 3 cents from $2.09 to $2.12; ethanol (E85) increased 23 cents from $2.13 to $2.36; propane decreased 3 cents from $2.93 to $2.90; and biodiesel (B20) increased 1 cent from $2.92 to $2.93.
According to Table 3, CNG is $0.70 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis while E85 is $0.25 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
Challenges and Opportunities for Transactive Control of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment: A Reference Guide
7/29/2015
This report seeks to characterize the opportunities and challenges that arise in developing a transactive control strategy for grid and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) integration in various use-case scenarios in a way that provides end-user, energy market, grid, and societal benefits. This report serves as a reference guide for stakeholders in the grid-EVSE integration area, illustrates potential implementations, and identifies a high-value research project for overcoming the barriers and unlocking the benefits of transactive controls of EVSE.
Authors: Jin, X.; Meintz, A.
Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) Fuel Cell Bus Demonstration Results: Fourth Report
7/1/2015
This report presents results of a demonstration of fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) operating in Oakland, California. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) leads the Zero Emission Bay Area (ZEBA) demonstration, which includes 12 advanced-design fuel cell buses and two hydrogen fueling stations. The ZEBA demonstration is the largest FCEB demonstration in the United States and involves five participating transit agencies. The ZEBA partners are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. NREL has published three previous reports, in August 2011, July 2012, and May 2014, describing operation of these buses. New results in this report provide an update covering data from November 2013 through December 2014.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Post, M.
Strategic Planning to Implement Publicly Available EV Charging Stations: A Guide for Businesses and Policymakers
7/1/2015
This guide, prepared for the National Association of State Energy Officials, answers questions that private investors and state and local agencies, such as state energy offices, may have in deciding whether and to what extent they should invest in publicly available charging infrastructure. It demonstrates that with continued public support in the near term, new business models could gradually make publicly available charging projects profitable for private businesses without additional government interventions.
Authors: Nigro, N.; Welch, D.; Peace, J.
Strategic Planning to Enable ESCOs to Accelerate NGV Fleet Deployment: A Guide for Businesses and Policymakers
7/1/2015
This guide, prepared for the National Association of State Energy Officials, addresses questions that private investors and state and local agencies may have about key considerations and strategies for deploying NGVs in public and private fleets. The guide analyzes a range of scenarios for tractor- trailer truck, school bus, and light-duty vehicle fleets. Each scenario estimates the potential for NGVs to achieve net cost savings compared to conventional vehicles. Although switching to natural gas can lower costs, many fleet managers have not converted their fleets to NGVs. The business model that energy service companies (ESCOs) apply to energy efficiency projects may help fleet managers transition to NGV projects and realize these potential cost savings.
Authors: Nigro, N.; Welch, D.; Park, J.E.
Characterize the Demand and Energy Characteristics of Direct Current Fast Chargers
6/1/2015
The EV Project partnered with city, regional and state governments, utilities, and other organizations in 18 cities to deploy about 12,500 public and residential charging stations. It also demonstrated 8,650 plug-in electric vehicles. The focus of this paper is to identify the impact of direct current (DC) fast chargers charging on the total system load. It also identifies the characteristics of the aggregated group of DC fast chargers and a single typical DC fast charger and its charge profile or load duration curve.
E15 and Infrastructure
5/28/2015
This report explores the compatibility of refueling station equipment with E15--a 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline blend intended for use in conventional gasoline light duty vehicles model year 2001 or newer. The report includes background information on E15, a literature review seeking to identify issues during the nationwide deployment of E10, a diagram of all station equipment and a supporting table with each piece of equipment, common materials, purpose, and third-party listings for ethanol. The appendices include lists of compatible equipment.
Authors: Moriarty, K.; Yanowitz, J.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, April 2015
5/28/2015
The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report for April 2015 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 April 1, 2015 and April 15, 2015, 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 1 reports that the nationwide average price (all amounts are per gallon) for regular gasoline has increased 12 cents from $2.30 to $2.42; diesel decreased 18 cents from $3.06 to $2.88; CNG price decreased 2 cents from $2.11 to $2.09; ethanol (E85) decreased 8 cents from $2.21 to $2.13; propane increased 1 cent from $2.92 to $2.93; and biodiesel (B20) has decreased 26 cents from $3.18 to 3.92.
According to Table 2, CNG is $.33 less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is $0.35 more than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Bourbon, E.
What were the Cost Drivers for the DC Fast Charging Installations?
5/12/2015
The EV Project partnered with city, regional and state governments, utilities, and other organizations in 18 cities to deploy about 12,500 public and residential charging stations. It also demonstrated 8,650 plug-in electric vehicles. This evaluation reviews not only the costs and site conditions associated with the 111 DC fast chargers deployed during the EV Project, but also includes estimates obtained for another 50+ DC fast charger sites that were planned, but were not installed.
Idling Reduction for Personal Vehicles
5/7/2015
Fact sheet on reducing engine idling in personal vehicles. Idling your vehicle--running your engine when you're not driving it--truly gets you nowhere. Idling reduces your vehicle's fuel economy, costs you money, and creates pollution. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions that contribute to smog and climate change than stopping and restarting your engine does.
Idling Reduction for Emergency and Other Service Vehicles
5/7/2015
This is a fact sheet about reducing idling for emergency and service vehicles. Emergency vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, along with other service vehicles such as armored cars, are often exempt from laws that limit engine idling. However, these vehicles can save fuel and reduce emissions with technologies that allow them to perform vital services without idling.
