National Academies Report Released: Review of the Research Program of the U.S. DRIVE Partnership: Fourth Report

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released report produced by the Committee on Review of the U.S. DRIVE Research Program, Phase 4; Board on Energy and Environmental Systems; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; and the National Research Council titled, Review of the Research Program of the U.S. DRIVE Partnership: Fourth Report (2013). The 185-page report (available free with a one-time registration) discusses how,

Review of the Research Program of the U.S. DRIVE Partnership: Fourth Report follows on three previous NRC reviews of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, which was the predecessor of the U.S. DRIVE Partnership (NRC, 2005, 2008a, 2010). The U.S. DRIVE (Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle Efficiency and Energy Sustainability) vision, according to the charter of the Partnership, is this: American consumers have a broad range of affordable personal transportation choices that reduce petroleum consumption and significantly reduce harmful emissions from the transportation sector. Its mission is as follows: accelerate the development of pre-competitive and innovative technologies to enable a full range of efficient and clean advanced light-duty vehicles (LDVs), as well as related energy infrastructure. The Partnership focuses on precompetitive research and development (R&D) that can help to accelerate the emergence of advanced technologies to be commercialization-feasible.

The guidance for the work of the U.S. DRIVE Partnership as well as the priority setting and targets for needed research are provided by joint industry/government technical teams. This structure has been demonstrated to be an effective means of identifying high-priority, long-term precompetitive research needs for each technology with which the Partnership is involved. Technical areas in which research and development as well as technology validation programs have been pursued include the following: internal combustion engines (ICEs) potentially operating on conventional and various alternative fuels, automotive fuel cell power systems, hydrogen storage systems (especially onboard vehicles), batteries and other forms of electrochemical energy storage, electric propulsion systems, hydrogen production and delivery, and materials leading to vehicle weight reductions.

National Academies Interim Report Released: Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a pre-publication interim report produced by the Committee on Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment; Board on Energy and Environmental Systems; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; Transportation Research Board; and the National Research Council titled, Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment (2013). The 82-page report (available free with a one-time registration) discusses how,

[t]he electric vehicle offers many promises—increasing U.S. energy security by reducing petroleum dependence, contributing to climate-change initiatives by decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, stimulating long-term economic growth through the development of new technologies and industries, and improving public health by improving local air quality. There are, however, substantial technical, social, and economic barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles, including vehicle cost, small driving range, long charging times, and the need for a charging infrastructure. In addition, people are unfamiliar with electric vehicles, are uncertain about their costs and benefits, and have diverse needs that current electric vehicles might not meet. Although a person might derive some personal benefits from ownership, the costs of achieving the social benefits, such as reduced GHG emissions, are borne largely by the people who purchase the vehicles. Given the recognized barriers to electric-vehicle adoption, Congress asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to commission a study by the National Academies to address market barriers that are slowing the purchase of electric vehicles and hindering the deployment of supporting infrastructure. As a result of the request, the National Research Council (NRC)—a part of the National Academies—appointed the Committee on Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment.

This committee documented their findings in two reports—a short interim report focused on near-term options, and a final comprehensive report. Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment fulfills the request for the short interim report that addresses specifically the following issues: infrastructure needs for electric vehicles, barriers to deploying the infrastructure, and possible roles of the federal government in overcoming the barriers. This report also includes an initial discussion of the pros and cons of the possible roles. This interim report does not address the committee's full statement of task and does not offer any recommendations because the committee is still in its early stages of data-gathering. The committee will continue to gather and review information and conduct analyses through late spring 2014 and will issue its final report in late summer 2014.

Overcoming Barriers to Electric-Vehicle Deployment focuses on the light-duty vehicle sector in the United States and restricts its discussion of electric vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), which include battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The common feature of these vehicles is that their batteries are charged by being plugged into the electric grid. BEVs differ from PHEVs because they operate solely on electricity stored in a battery (that is, there is no other power source); PHEVs have internal combustion engines that can supplement the electric power train. Although this report considers PEVs generally, the committee recognizes that there are fundamental differences between PHEVs and BEVs.

Consumer Federation of America Report Released: On the Road to 54.5 MPG: A Progress Report on Achievability

Recently, the Consumer Federation of America, "an association of non-profit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education" released a report titled, On the Road to 54.5 MPG: A Progress Report on Achievability (Apr. 2013). The 30-page report authored by Jack Gillis and Mark Cooper available here, according to a recent national poll lists the following findings:

• Eight-five percent of respondents said they “support” the requirements, with more than half (54 percent) saying they “strongly support” the standard.
• This remarkable support extends across the political spectrum, with 77 percent of Republicans, 87 percent of Independents and 92 percent of Democrats saying they support the higher standard.
• Fuel economy will be an important factor for 88 percent of respondents in their next vehicle purchase (59 percent say it will be a “very important” factor).
• Those who say fuel economy is very important expect to get twelve miles more per gallon (mpg) from their next vehicle than those who say it is not important.
• Consumers intend to purchase even higher mileage vehicles going forward. Those who indicated that their current gas mileage was 24 mpg and who intend to purchase a vehicle in the future, expect a seven mpg increase, or to get 31 mpg from their next vehicle.
• More than half (57%) of respondents who said they intend to purchase a SUV said they want its fuel economy to be at least 25 mpg.

CRS Report Released: Motorized Recreation on National Park Service Lands

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), the public policy research arm of Congress, recently issued the report Motorized Recreation on National Park Service Lands (Feb. 8, 2013). The 21-page report authored by Laura B. Comay, Carol Hardy Vincent, and Kristina Alexander discusses the following:

Summary

In managing its lands, the National Park Service (NPS) seeks to balance a dual statutory mission of preserving natural resources while providing for their enjoyment by the public. Motorized recreation on NPS lands sometimes brings the two parts of this mission into conflict. Offhighway vehicles (OHVs) have been particularly controversial, with calls for greater recreational access intersecting with concerns about environmental impacts and disturbance of quieter pursuits. NPS’s laws, regulations, and policies generally emphasize the conservation of park resources in conservation/use conflicts, and NPS has fewer lands open to OHV use than do other federal land management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. The 113th Congress may address motorized recreation in the National Park System, either through broad measures (such as those concerning recreational access to federal lands) or through specific measures affecting motorized recreation at particular NPS units.

ATVs and Oversand Vehicles. Only 12 of the 398 park units are open to public recreational use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), four-wheel drive vehicles, and/or dune, sand, and swamp buggies. The extent of unauthorized use of such vehicles is in dispute. Several units are developing pilot education and deterrence programs to address unauthorized use. Legislative measures in the 112^th Congress sought to regulate OHV use at one NPS site, Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Snowmobiles. Regulatory and judicial actions to allow or restrict snowmobile use have focused primarily on three Yellowstone-area park units. Winter use plans developed by NPS to establish numerical limits on snowmobile and snowcoach entries have been the subject of repeated, and often conflicting, court challenges. Most recently, NPS has issued a draft plan and supplemental environmental impact statement intended to govern snowmobile use at Yellowstone for the 2014- 2015 winter season and beyond. The plan would allow up to 110 “transportation events” per day (defined as the use of either a multipassenger snowcoach or a group of snowmobiles).

Aircraft Overflights. Grand Canyon National Park is at the center of a conflict over whether or how to limit air tours over national park units to reduce noise. NPS and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continue to work to implement a 1987 law (P.L. 100-91) that sought to reduce noise at Grand Canyon, and a 2000 law (P.L. 106-181) that regulates overflights at other park units. P.L. 112-141, enacted in 2012, contains provisions on air tour management at Grand Canyon, including some less-stringent standards for natural quiet than NPS had recommended in planning efforts. P.L. 112-95 contains provisions to expedite and streamline agency planning actions for commercial air tours over parks generally.

Personal Watercraft (PWC). Since 2003, NPS has completed regulations to open designated PWC areas at 13 units. In July 2010, a federal judge ordered NPS to re-examine environmental assessments justifying PWC use at two of those units but did not overturn existing regulations.

Mountain Bicycles. This mechanized though nonmotorized activity also raises issues of the sufficiency of access to park lands as well as potential resource damage and disturbance of quieter recreational pursuits. Currently, more than 40 NPS units allow mountain biking on dirt trails and/or dirt roads. Mountain biking advocates have worked with NPS to explore opportunities to increase this activity in park units. In July 2012, NPS finalized a rule that eases the process for park superintendents to open trails to bicycles.

National Academies Report Released: Building the U.S. Battery Industry for Electric Drive Vehicles: Summary of a Symposium

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by Charles W. Wessner, Rapporteur; the Subcommittee on Electric Drive Battery Research and Development Activities; Committee on Competing in the 21st Century: Best Practice in State and Regional Innovation Initiatives; Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy; Policy and Global Affairs; and the National Research Council titled, Building the U.S. Battery Industry for Electric Drive Vehicles: Summary of a Symposium (2012). The 246-page report is available free with a one-time registration. According to the abstract,

[s]ince 1991, the National Research Council, under the auspices of the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy, has undertaken a program of activities to improve policymakers' understandings of the interconnections of science, technology, and economic policy and their importance for the American economy and its international competitive position. The Board's activities have corresponded with increased policy recognition of the importance of knowledge and technology to economic growth. The goal of the this symposium was to conduct two public symposia to review and analyze the potential contributions of public-private partnerships and identify other relevant issues for the Department of Energy, Office of Vehicle Technologies, Energy Storage Team's activities in the energy storage research and development area. The symposia will also identify lessons from these and other domestic and international experiences to help inform DoE as to whether its activities are complete and appropriately focused. Additional topics that emerge in the course of the planning may also be addressed. Building the U.S. Battery Industry for Electric Drive Vehicles: Summary of a Symposium gathers representatives from leading battery manufacturers, automotive firms, university researchers, academic and industry analysts, congressional staff, and federal agency representatives. An individually-authored summary of each symposium will be issued.

The symposium was held in Michigan in order to provide direct access to the policymakers and industrial participants drawn from the concentration of battery manufacturers and automotive firms in the region. The symposium reviewed the current state, needs, and challenges of the U.S. advanced battery manufacturing industry; challenges and opportunities in battery R&D, commercialization, and deployment; collaborations between the automotive industry and battery industry; workforce issues, and supply chain development. It also focused on the impact of DoE's investments and the role of state and federal programs in support of this growing industry. This task of this report is to summarize the presentations and discussions that took place at this symposium. Needless to say, the battery industry has evolved very substantially since the conference was held, and indeed some of the caveats raised by the speakers with regard to overall demand for batteries and the prospects of multiple producers now seem prescient. At the same time, it is important to understand that it is unrealistic to expect that all recipients of local, state, or federal support in a complex and rapidly evolving industry will necessarily succeed. A number of the firms discussed here have been absorbed by competitors, others have gone out of business, and others continue to progress.

Transport & Environment Report Released: How Clean Are Europe's Cars 2012

Recently, Transport & Environment a pro-environmental NGO that focuses "on smarter and greener transport policies at the EU level in Brussels" released its annual report titled, How Clean Are Europe's Cars (2012). The report available here, discusses "the annual progress Europe’s major car manufacturers have made in reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of new cars."

 

Previous editions of the report are available here:

2011

2010

2009

2008

 

Case for Technology Neutral Public Policy in Fuel Economy Debate

Case for Technology Neutral Public Policy in Fuel Economy Debate: Allowing Performance to Determine Solutions.  This report by the  U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars argues that if we replaced our current motor pool with high-efficiency gas and diesel cars, we could reduce gas consumption by 31 billion gallons a year — a 42 percent cut in imported oil. The basic message of the report is that gas vehicles can be really clean, and the Department of Energy shouldn’t be subsidizing only battery electric cars. According to Mineta, “The federal government should support a wide range of technologies that hold the most promising environmental and commercial opportunities…”

2012 (Auto) Fuel Economy Guide -- DOE

The 2010 Fuel Economy Guide details the miles-per-gallon acheived by 2012 model year automobiles sold in the United States.

Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2010 -- EPA

This report, published in November 2010, provides data on the fuel economy, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and technology trends of new light-duty vehicles (cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks) for model years 1975 through 2010 in the United States.

For model year 2009, the last year for which EPA has final data, EPA projects average real-world CO2 emissions to be 397 grams per mile and fuel economy to be 22.4 miles per gallon (the fuel economy values in this report are those that EPA provides to consumers, and are lower than the fuel economy values used for compliance with CAFE standards).

CO2 emissions and fuel economy are at their most favorable levels since the EPA database began in 1975, and are slightly better than the previous best year of 1987. Preliminary values for model year 2010 suggest a slight improvement to 395 grams CO2 per mile and 22.5 mpg, but there is uncertainty in the 2010 values as they are based on automaker projections provided to EPA during the market turmoil of 2009. Average CO2 emissions and fuel economy have improved each year beginning in 2005, and are about 15 percent better than in 2004. This reverses a long-term trend of worsening CO2 emissions and fuel economy from 1987 through 2004.

Fleet Electrification Roadmap: Revolutionizing Transportation and Achieving Energy Security

This report from the Electrification Coalition, dated November 2010, argues that the lower operating costs of electric drive vehicles coupled with the operational norms of commercial and government fleets could make adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) highly attractive. The report includes a detailed examination of commercial and government fleets, highlighting common practices that could make them significant early adopters of EVs and PHEVs. The analysis suggests that with targeted, temporary policies in place, a cumulative 200,000 electric-drive vehicles could be on the road by 2015.

Electric Car Calculator: Compare Electric Car to Hybrid, Diesel & Gas Cars

Is it worth buying an Electric Car?

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors including: your driving habits, gas prices, price of electricity and how you value the environmental impact of your driving.

To help you decide if an electric car is the right choice for you, we have created a calculator that will compare the financial and environmental costs of buying an electric car versus buying a hybrid or standard gas powered car.

To find out if an electric car is the right choice for you, simply fill out the calculator on this web site provided by Befrugal.com.

2011 Fuel Economy Guide -- EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) has released the 2011 Fuel Economy Guide, providing consumers with information about estimated mileage and fuel costs for model year 2011 vehicles. Choosing the most fuel efficient vehicle in a class will save consumers money and reduce carbon pollution.

Remarks by the President on National Fuel Efficiency Standards

These are the remarks, dated May 19, 2009, by President Obama in announcing the new CAFE/CO2 automobile standards.

Automakers Support President in Development of National Program for Autos

This statement by the Auto Alliance sets for the auto industry's support for President Obama's new CAFE/CO2 auto standards.