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Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles:

Resources for Fleet Managers

Ann H. Brennan

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Golden, CO April 12, 2011 NREL/PR-7A30-51687

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
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Resources for implementing alternative fuels & 

advanced vehicles

 Context and motivations

 Step 1: Learn about the options

 Step 2: See what others have done

 Step 3: Are there regulations or incentives that affect you?

 Step 4: Set baseline and goal

 Step 5: Explore options for your fleet

 Step 6: Get help

 Feedback & Discussion

Agenda
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U.S. Dept. of Energy: Clean Cities

• Sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program

• Provides a framework for businesses and governments to work 

together as a coalition to enhance local markets

• Provides a way to coordinate activities, identify mutual 

interests, develop regional economic opportunities, and 

improve air quality

Clean Cities Mission 

To advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the U.S. 

by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the 

reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector.
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U.S. Petroleum Trends

Source: Annual Energy Review 2009. Energy Information Administration.
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Clean Cities Today

• 87 active coalitions in 

45 states

• Coalitions cover 75% 

of U.S. population

• 8,400+ public, private 

stakeholders 

• Coalitions generate 

18:1 leveraging of 

Federal investment1

1http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/pdfs/49389.pdf
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Gasoline and Diesel Prices

Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp
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• Besides cost, motivators include:

– Reducing emissions of air pollutants or greenhouse gases

– Meeting Federal or state mandates

– Responding to corporate goals

– Supporting regional economy

– Promoting green image

Motivation and Goals
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Petroleum Displacement Strategies

 Reduce by promoting energy efficiency in 

vehicles through advanced technologies and 

more fuel efficient vehicles. 

 Replace petroleum with alternative fuels and 

low-level blends.

 Eliminate by promoting idle reduction, 

combining or eliminating trips, and other 

mileage reduction measures. 

Eliminate
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Alternative Fuels and Vehicles

• Biodiesel (B100)

• Electricity

• Ethanol (E85)

• Hydrogen

• Natural gas

• Propane

Fuel Blends

• Biodiesel/diesel blends (B2, B5, B20)

• Ethanol/gasoline blends (E10)

• Hydrogen/natural gas blends (HCNG)

Clean Cities Portfolio of Technologies

Fuel Economy

• Fuel efficiency

• Behavior changes

• Vehicle maintenance initiatives

• Reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT)

Hybrids

• Light- and heavy-duty HEVs

• PHEVs

Idle Reduction

• Medium and heavy-duty trucks

• School buses

• Truck stop electrification
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Step 1: Learn About the Options

cleancities.energy.gov

afdc.energy.gov

fueleconomy.gov
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Learn About Fuel Options
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Fuels Pages
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Learn About Vehicle Options
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Electric Drive Vehicle Section
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AFDC Light- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Search
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Find Alt Fuel Stations Near You
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Find Alt Fuel Stations Near You 

(example)
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Find Fuel On-the-Go

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/m/
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Step 2: See What Others Have Done (part 1)
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Step 2: See What Others Have Done (part 2)
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Step 3: Are There Regulations or 

Incentives That Affect You?
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Are There Regulations or Incentives That 

Affect You?

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/program/fedfleet_management.html

Federal Fleets
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Are There Regulations or 

Incentives That Affect You?

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/epact/

State and Fuel Provider (Utility) Fleets
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• Inventory fleet: Types/classes of vehicles

– Number of each type/class

– Annual miles traveled

– Annual fuel consumption

– Annual CO2 produced

• 19.4 pounds per gallon gasoline*

• 22.2 pounds per gallon diesel*

• Set goal for fuel reduction

– No new vehicle purchases?

– Next year’s acquisitions?

– 10 year reduction?

Step 4: Set Baseline and Goal

* http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.pdf
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Step 5: Explore Options for Your Fleet

https://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/prep/index.php

AFDC Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool
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Fuel economy information

 Side-by-side comparisons

 Fuel economy ratings

 Carbon footprint

 Average annual fuel cost

 Smart driving tips

FuelEconomy.gov Web Site

Compare Fuel Economy
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Compare GHG Impacts
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(Soon) Compare Costs

 Side-by-side cost 

comparisons

 Operating costs

 Fuel consumption & cost

 CO2 emissions

In development—live April 2011

AFDC Cost Calculator
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• Financial opportunities

• Information resources

 Newsletters

 Technology bulletins

 Technical assistance

• Local experts and resources

Clean Cities Web Site

Step 6: Get Help!

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/
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Clean Cities Financial Opportunities
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Clean Cities Coordinators

Start working with the Clean Cities coalition in your area.

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/coalition_locations.php
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National Clean Fleet Partnership

Charter Members:

• AT&T

• FedEx

• PepsiCo

• UPS

• Verizon

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/national_partnership.html
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Web Sites and Resources

Clean Cities Web site

www.cleancities.energy.gov

Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center Web site

www.afdc.energy.gov

FuelEconomy.gov

www.fueleconomy.gov

Clean Cities Coordinator Contact Information and Coalition Web sites

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/coalition_locations.php

DOE EERE Information Center and Technical Response Service

Web Site: http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/informationcenter.html

Phone: 1-800-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

E-mail: technicalresponse@icfi.com

Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
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Web Sites and Resources

Clean Cities Information Resources

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/info_resources.html

Data, Analysis & Trends 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/data/index.html

Clean Cities Financial Opportunities

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/financial_opps.html

AFDC PREP tool

https://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/prep/index.php

Fleets 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ fleets/index.html

Vehicle Search

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/progs/vehicles_search.php

Publications Database 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/publications.html

Alternative Fuel Station Locator

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/stations/

State and Federal Incentives & Laws 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/incentives_laws.html

TransAtlas

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/data/geographic.html

Truck Stop Electrification Locator

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/idle_reduction_stations.html

Conversions 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/conversions.html
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Other Federal Agency Web Sites

Energy Information Administration (EIA) 

http://www.eia.doe.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

http://www.epa.gov

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 

http://www.irs.gov