ORNL/SR-2017/271

Sustainable 

Transportation 

Program 2016 Annual Report
PRODUCTION TEAM

Project Manager: Kim Askey

Contributing Science Writers: Kim Askey, Jennifer Burke, VJ Ewing, Morgan McCorkle, Ron Walli

Editors: Kathy Jones, Deborah Stevens

Graphic Designer: Colby Earles

Contributing Designers: LeJean Hardin, Andy Sproles

Photographers: Rachel Brooks, Carlos Jones, Jason Richards

Additional images: iStock by Getty Images

CONTACT

Sustainable Transportation Program

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

PO Box 2008, MS 6472

Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6472

transportation@ornl.gov

www.ornl.gov/transportation

www.twitter.com/ornlntrc

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16-G01647/cae

Sustainable Transportation Program

2016 Annual Report
4 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 5

From the Director 6

Integrating Technology 8

• High-power wireless charging surges forward with 20-kW system 

• ORNL partners with Delphi on inverter for 2016 Chevy Volt

• Novel motor achieves 75% higher power without rare earth materials 

Accelerating Solutions 10

• Microscopy captures real-time view of evolving fuel cell catalysts 

• Facility provides capabilities to examine materials at their core

• Hydrogen storage vessel solves embrittlement problem

Running Smoothly 12

• New perspective on ignition modes opens opportunities

• Advanced catalyst technology excels at low temperatures

• Discovery will inform future design of fuels and engines

Analyzing Possibilities 14

• Data help officials keep the nation’s freight moving 

• Compare vehicles, mileage, and more at fueleconomy.gov

• Market acceptance modeling tool available online

• ORNL data support strategic decisions, public outreach 

Building Biomass 16

• US holds potential to produce a thriving bioeconomy by 2040

• Energy-efficient reaction drives ORNL biofuel conversion technology

• Developing international codes and standards for the bioenergy industry 

• World’s experts tour region’s biomass resources

Sustainable Transportation Program by the Numbers 18

• Transferring technology to market

Propelling Innovations 20

• Atoms to engines: Accelerating alloy development using high-performance computing

• Turbocharging R&D with high-performance computing

Connecting to the Future 22

• Algorithms rev up fuel efficiency for connected and automated vehicles

• Coming soon to a road near you: safer, more secure vehicles

• Improving cybersecurity for connected and automated vehicle technologies

Driving Results 24

• Cross-laboratory capabilities speed development of new Ce-Al alloy

• ORNL contributes to standards development for heavy-duty trucks 

• Real-time tracking system monitors fuel shipments

Improving Costs 26

• Laser treatment creates strong, multimaterial joints for vehicle lightweighting

• Lower cost alloys for higher temperature exhaust valves improve vehicle efficiency

• Predictive engineering tools for injection-molded carbon fiber composites

Rolling Along 28

• Building better batteries with neutrons and computational modeling 

• Electron beam technology cures cathode coatings instantly

• Fast formation protocol speeds production, improves battery capacity

Leadership Science 30

Honors and Awards 32

Publications 34

Table of Contents
6 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 7

The efficiency and security of the transportation system 

affect us all—from the time and energy spent on our daily 

commutes to the availability of goods in our local stores. 

Also impacted are our pocketbooks, both as individuals 

and as a nation.

Transportation accounts for about 70% of national petroleum 

use, with Americans spending more than $177 billion to 

import oil in 2015. That same year, oil dependence cost the 

US $29 billion in lost potential GDP. Creating transportation 

technologies that reduce dependence on foreign oil; boost 

America’s economy; improve national energy security; and 

deliver to consumers affordable, environmentally friendly 

choices is of critical importance.

ORNL’s Sustainable Transportation Program (STP) works 

with government and industry to develop scientific 

knowledge and new technologies that accelerate the 

deployment of energy-efficient vehicles and intelligent, 

secure, and accessible transportation systems. 

Scientists are tackling complex challenges in 

transportation using comprehensive capabilities at 

ORNL’s National Transportation Research Center and the 

laboratory’s signature strengths in high-performance 

computing, neutron sciences, materials science, 

and advanced manufacturing. Research focuses on 

electrification, efficiency of combustion and emissions, 

data science and automated vehicles, and materials 

for future systems. Highlights from 2016 include:

Electrification

Researchers developed and demonstrated the world’s 

first high-power (20-kW) wireless charging system for 

passenger cars. The system achieved 90% efficiency at 

three times the rate of the plug-in systems commonly 

used for electric vehicles today. ORNL and partners Toyota, 

Cisco Systems, Evatran, and the Clemson University 

International Center for Automotive Research received an 

R&D 100 Special Recognition Award for the technology.

Efficiency of combustion 

and emission controls

Scientists at ORNL took a leadership role in the DOE 

Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative, which aims 

to accelerate the introduction of innovative combustion 

strategies and fuels designed together to maximize 

performance and fuel efficiency. Researchers also developed 

new catalyst technologies that operate effectively in the 

low-temperature exhaust from high-efficiency engines.

Data science and automated vehicles

Through the development of vehicle-based algorithms, 

ORNL data scientists simulated optimized traffic flow for 

connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) merging at 

highway on-ramps, demonstrating the potential to reduce 

fuel consumption by 50% and travel time by 7%. Further 

analysis showed that 40% fuel savings could be achieved 

even if only 30% of the vehicles on the road are CAVs. 

Materials for future systems

Leveraging ORNL’s high-performance computing and materials 

characterization capabilities, researchers partnered with 

FCA USA and Nemak to develop a new class of affordable, 

300°C-capable cast aluminum alloys for use in nextgeneration engines.

This annual report is a short summary and snapshot 

featuring several other accomplishments from the STP 

team. From motors that achieve higher power density 

without rare earth materials to thought leadership on 

combustion as a continuum to new technologies in 

multimaterial joining and vehicle cybersecurity, ORNL 

researchers are shaping the future of transportation.

I would like to thank our major sponsors for supporting this 

research and development, including the DOE Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Sustainable Transportation 

Offices, consisting of the Vehicle Technologies Office, Bioenergy 

Technologies Office, and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, as 

well as the US Department of Transportation, our 88 active 

industry partners, and other key sponsors and partners. 

Many thanks as well to the team of researchers from across the 

laboratory who devote their energy and expertise to delivering 

innovations in transportation. Together, we are driving 

toward a sustainable, secure, and accessible mobility future.

Delivering innovations in 

sustainable, secure mobility 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dr. Claus Daniel, Director

Dr. Claus Daniel, Director

Sustainable Transportation Program
Electric vehicle charging

PLUG-IN:

Level-1 power (1.6 kW)

Level-2 power (6.6 kW)

WIRELESS:

ORNL wireless charging (20 kW)

Calculated charging times for a 20-kWh battery

6 hours

3 hours

1 hour

8 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 9

High-power wireless 

charging surges forward 

with 20-kW system 

They’re zooming across American roadways, spreading from 

the cities to the heartland. Since 2011, more than half a million 

plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the United States.

For the electric vehicle trend to continue, however, 

vehicles must adapt to consumer needs—providing more 

convenience, charge, efficiency, and affordability. New 

advancements at ORNL are addressing these challenges.

Researchers in ORNL’s Power Electronics and Electric 

Machinery Research Center developed and demonstrated the 

world’s first high-power (20-kW) wireless charging system for 

passenger cars. The ORNL system achieved 90% efficiency at 

three times the rate of the plug-in systems commonly used for 

electric vehicles. 

Industry partners from Toyota, Cisco Systems, Evatran, and 

Clemson University International Center for Automotive 

Research contributed to the technology development.

“We have made tremendous progress from the lab 

proof-of-concept experiments a few years ago,” said 

research team lead Madhu Chinthavali. “We have set 

a path forward that started with solid engineering, 

design, scale-up and integration into several Toyota 

vehicles. We now have a technology that is moving 

closer to being ready for the market.”

The 20-kW system features a unique architecture with 

an ORNL-built inverter, isolation transformer, vehicle-side 

electronics, and coupling technologies. For the demonstration, 

researchers integrated the single-converter system into 

an electric Toyota RAV4 equipped with an additional 

10-kWh battery.

The research team is not stopping at 20 kW. On the horizon is 

a 50-kW charging system that would match the power levels 

of commercially available plug-in quick chargers. Providing 

the same speed with the convenience of wireless charging 

could increase consumer acceptance of electric vehicles and is 

considered a key enabler for hands-free, autonomous vehicles. 

Higher power levels are also essential for powering larger 

vehicles such as trucks and buses.

“Wireless power transfer is a paradigm shift in electric vehicle 

charging that offers the consumer an autonomous, safe, 

efficient, and convenient option to plug-in charging,” said 

Dr. David Smith, vehicle systems program manager. “This 

technology is a stepping stone toward electrified roadways 

where vehicles could charge on the go.”

The DOE Vehicle Technologies Office provided funding for this 

competitively selected project. Other members of the ORNL 

project team were Steven Campbell, Paul Chambon, Dr. Omer 

Onar, Dr. Burak Ozpineci, Larry Seiber, Dr. Lixin Tang, Cliff White, 

and Randy Wiles, as well as retired staff members Curt Ayers, 

Chester Coomer, and Dr. John Miller.

ORNL partners with Delphi on inverter for 2016 Chevy Volt

Technology innovations developed 

as part of a DOE and U.S. DRIVE 

co-funded project contributed 

to the inverter design of the 2016 

Chevrolet Volt.

The Volt uses a second-generation 

“Voltec” extended-range electric 

powertrain with a traction power 

inverter module (TPIM) designed 

to increase efficiency, performance, 

and durability. The module includes 

a novel dual-sided cooled package, 

which is used as the power device for 

the Volt’s TPIM.

ORNL conducted electrical 

characterization, modeling, and drive 

system simulation to assist Delphi with 

technology development. Researchers 

evaluated the Delphi-developed 600-V 

package over a range of temperatures 

(25°C to 150°C), currents (10 A to 300 A), 

and voltages (250 V to 325 V). ORNL 

data were used to develop behavioral 

loss models that were incorporated in 

the system-level model.

The silicon dual-sided cooled 

power device package 

enabled the inverter module 

to deliver more uniform 

current density than traditional 

single-sided power modules. 

The improved packaging 

delivered a 30% reduction in 

thermal resistance and a 17% 

reduction in conduction losses, 

contributing to a 10% increase in 

vehicle fuel economy.

Research for the project was 

supported by the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office and conducted 

in collaboration with the National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Novel motor achieves 75% higher power without rare earth materials 

Most motors in electric and hybrid 

electric vehicles rely on permanent 

magnets to make the rotors spin and 

produce torque. These permanent 

magnets are commonly made 

with imported rare earth materials 

that account for about 40% of the 

total motor cost.

ORNL researchers Tim Burress, Jason 

Pries, Dr. Lixin Tang, and Randy 

Wiles designed and demonstrated 

a prototype motor that achieved 

75% higher power than commercial 

motors without the use of expensive 

rare earth materials. Instead, the novel 

motor uses permanent magnets 

made of ferrite, a common iron 

oxide that is both highly electrically 

resistive and magnetic. 

“We are focused on increasing energy 

security for the nation by designing 

efficient high-performance motors 

built with materials that are both 

economical and abundantly available 

here in the United States,” said 

research lead Tim Burress. 

In dynamometer evaluations, the motor 

achieved a peak power of 103 kW and 

exceeded DOE targets for specific 

power, efficiency, and cost. It is 

comparable in size to the 60-kW motor 

found in the Toyota Prius. 

The design is a promising solution to 

eliminate costly rare earth materials 

in motors while packing more power 

into a smaller package.

This research was supported by the 

DOE Vehicle Technologies Office.

2016 Chevy Volt

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY

ORNL’s 20-kW wireless charging system achieved 

90% efficiency at three times the rate of the plug-in 

systems commonly used for electric vehicles.

Researcher Tim Burress works with a prototype 

motor that uses ferrite permanent magnets.
Improving cost, scalability, 

durability, and safety

10 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 11

Microscopy captures real-time view 

of evolving fuel cell catalysts 

Atomic-level imaging of catalysts by scientists 

at ORNL could help manufacturers lower the 

cost and improve the performance of 

emission-free fuel cell technologies.

Fuel cells rely on costly platinum catalysts to 

enable the necessary reactions that convert 

chemical energy into electricity. Alloying 

platinum, for example, with transition metals 

such as cobalt reduces the overall cost, but 

these alloyed catalysts vary in performance 

based on their atomic structure and 

processing history.

ORNL scientists used scanning transmission electron microscopy to track atomic 

reconfigurations in individual platinum-cobalt nanoparticle catalysts as the particles 

were heated inside the microscope. The in situ measurements allowed researchers to 

collect atomic-level data that could not be obtained with conventional 

microscopy techniques.

Very small changes in the positions of platinum and cobalt atoms affect the catalyst’s 

overall activity and selectivity, so annealing—a gradual heating, holding, and cooling 

process—is often used to modify the alloy’s surface structure. The ORNL in situ 

microscopy experiments documented exactly what, when, and how specific atomic 

configurations originate and evolve during the annealing process.

“You can anneal something from room temperature to 800°C, but you don’t know at 

which point you should stop the process to ensure the best catalytic performance,” 

ORNL researcher Dr. Miaofang Chi said. “Because you don’t know how the particle 

evolves, you might be missing the optimum surface configuration.”

The atomic-level detail in the ORNL study will guide researchers and 

manufacturers who want to fine-tune their catalysts’ atomic structure to meet 

the demands of a specific application.

“This work paves the way toward designing catalysts through 

post-synthesis annealing for optimized performance,” Chi said.

The research was sponsored by the Fuel Cell Technologies Office in DOE’s Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and microscopy was performed at ORNL’s 

Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science user facility. Other 

research team members include ORNL's Dr. Karren More, Dr. Andrew Lupini, and Dr. 

Lawrence Allard, as well as partners from Johns Hopkins University, University of 

Pittsburgh, and Argonne National Laboratory.

Models of platinum-cobalt nanoparticle 

catalysts illustrate how specific atomic 

configurations originate and evolve as 

the particles are heated.

Facility provides capabilities to examine materials at their core

Unraveling the mysteries of the materials 

that shape and support the world involves 

characterization, taking a deeper dive into 

chemical processes. From catalysis and 

corrosion to fluid transport, characterization 

allows scientists to better understand what 

makes materials react and change.

ORNL’s Materials Characterization Core (MCC) 

provides a single source for scientists and 

researchers from the public and private sectors 

to access a range of microscopy, spectroscopy, 

and other characterization techniques and 

services to obtain insight into the structure and 

composition of materials at the atomic level.

MCC is the DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office’s 

(FCTO’s) leading resource for characterization of 

fuel cell materials such as catalysts and catalyst 

supports, membranes, electrodes, and gas 

diffusion layers. 

Through a new cost-share program sponsored 

by FCTO, a team of MCC scientists led by 

Dr. Karren More and Dr. David Wood can 

collaborate directly with organizations 

on projects that align with the DOE and 

FCTO missions. 

The FCTO program offers a 50% cost share 

to the organization, which can then work 

closely with ORNL staff to evaluate new 

materials, gain insights at the atomic level, and 

develop solutions to industry challenges. For 

example, Proton Onsite has worked with MCC 

on development of their proton exchange 

membrane electrolysis system. 

Hydrogen storage vessel solves embrittlement problem

A stationary vessel developed by ORNL researchers Dr. Zhili Feng and Dr. Yanli 

Wang could be the key to less expensive hydrogen storage, making it possible 

for more hydrogen-powered vehicles to hit the road in the near future.

ORNL researchers have designed a steel-concrete composite vessel that 

optimizes cost, scalability, durability, and safety by effectively solving the 

hydrogen embrittlement problem that causes corrosion in conventional 

stainless steel containers. The steel-concrete composite vessel includes small 

vents to prevent pressure buildup.

By allowing the hydrogen to migrate through the innermost layer of the vessel 

through ports, the design of the vessel mitigates hydrogen embrittlement in a 

layered steel alloy vessel. The design is safer and more cost-effective, making it 

easier to store hydrogen at the station.

This research was funded by the DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office. 

The stationary storage vessel optimizes 

cost, scalability, durability, and safety.

MCC allows scientists to gain insights into 

materials at the atomic level.

• Cost Savings: $.50 per gasoline gallon equivalent 

• Pressure Capacity: 875 bar 

• Storage Vessel Weight: 90 kg

40%

reduction in cost

ACCELERATING SOLUTIONS
12 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 13

New perspective on ignition modes opens opportunities

Advanced compression ignition modes are being viewed in a 

different light thanks to research from ORNL. 

Low-temperature combustion (LTC) strategies have been 

widely studied due to their potential for high efficiency 

and low emissions of pollutants like NOx. Achieving LTC 

using gasoline compression ignition engines is a topic of 

broad interest and considerable efforts on the part of the 

research community. 

Researchers Adam Dempsey, Dr. Scott Curran, and Dr. Robert 

Wagner provided a new perspective on gasoline compression 

ignition modes in a paper published in the International 

Journal of Engine Research. The authors used computational 

fluid dynamics modeling to demonstrate that these modes, 

which have been previously studied as distinct methods for 

achieving combustion efficiency, are actually a spectrum 

driven by fuel stratification or the mix of fuel and air at the 

time of ignition.

“The level of fuel stratification for these advanced combustion 

modes is, in reality, a continuum ranging from fully premixed 

(i.e., homogeneous charge of fuel and air) to heavily 

stratified, heterogeneous operation,” explained Curran. “This 

perspective changes the way we think about approaches 

to achieving LTC and provides a missing link for the research 

community at large.” 

Researchers from across the national laboratory system are 

applying this new perspective to the DOE Co-Optimization 

of Fuels and Engines initiative, which aims to accelerate 

the introduction of innovative combustion strategies and 

fuels designed together to maximize performance and 

energy efficiency.

“One thrust of the Co-Optimization initiative is focused on 

advanced compression ignition strategies, and this new 

perspective is guiding our approach to this space,” said 

Dr. Robert Wagner, director of ORNL’s Fuels, Engines, and 

Emissions Research Center and steering committee member 

for the DOE initiative. 

“Looking at gasoline compression ignition as 

a spectrum rather than a series of separate 

modes eliminates complexity and opens up new 

opportunities,” said Wagner.

The published findings are among the most-read articles 

for the journal online. This research was conducted with 

support from the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). The 

Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative is supported by 

both DOE VTO and the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office.

Advanced catalyst technology excels at low temperatures

As advanced engines become more 

efficient, more of the heat generated 

during combustion is being converted 

into power, and less heat escapes 

through exhaust. This improves fuel 

economy, but it also creates a need 

for new catalyst technologies that are 

effective at lower temperatures.

Researchers Dr. Todd Toops, Eleni 

Kyriakidou, and Dr. James E. Parks, II 

developed a new synthesis approach 

that improves low-temperature 

performance for platinum group metal 

(PGM) catalysts, the current standard for 

control of emissions. 

The effectiveness of PGM catalysts can 

be enhanced by the material that is 

used to support them in the emissions 

device. Zirconia is commonly used 

for supports as it is both durable and 

known to increase catalyst reactivity, 

but it also has a low surface area, 

which can limit overall performance. 

ORNL researchers took advantage of 

this enhanced reactivity and solved 

the surface area issue by coating 

zirconia like a shell over a high surface 

area silica support. 

This core-shell technique significantly 

increases the surface area of the 

zirconia support, providing more 

opportunity for the PGM catalysts to 

react efficiently with pollutants.

Working with both Pt and Pd 

catalysts, researchers demonstrated 

that supports created with this 

new coating technique worked 

efficiently at low temperatures, 

turning common hydrocarbons such 

as propane, propylene, and ethylene 

into benign substances like carbon 

dioxide and water.

The new catalyst synthesis 

technique shows great potential to 

control emissions from advanced 

combustion engines that have low 

exhaust temperatures. This research 

was sponsored by the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office and performed, in 

part, using instrumentation provided 

by the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. 

Discovery will inform future design of fuels and engines

A phenomenon first identified by 

ORNL researchers Dr. Jim Szybist and 

Dr. Derek Splitter could have 

implications for the future design of 

fuels and engines.

Fuels are commonly given an octane 

rating, which is a measure of how much 

compression the fuel can withstand 

before it ignites. Research octane 

number, known as RON, is one such 

measure that has been standard for 

almost a century. 

Enter the new kid on the block, the 

turbocharged engine. Smaller and 

lighter than standard gasoline engines, 

turbocharged engines produce more 

power by packing more air and fuel 

into the combustion chamber. These 

conditions are not well represented by 

standard ratings like RON.

Szybist and Splitter used three 

different fuels with the same RON 

and discovered dramatically different 

fuel behaviors at the higher pressures 

common in turbocharged engines. For 

some fuels, burning started before the 

spark plug triggered ignition without it 

leading to engine knock. 

“Pre-spark heat release under 

turbocharged conditions is a 

phenomenon that needs to be taken 

into account, because it is not being 

accurately captured by the current 

models,” said Szybist. “We are now 

operating in a temperature and 

pressure space outside the bounds 

that we have historically subjected 

fuels to and outside where we have a 

good rating system for fuel quality.”

Szybist and Splitter are continuing to 

examine the relationship between 

fuel composition and fuel behavior 

at high pressures as part of the DOE 

Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines 

initiative, which aims to simultaneously 

accelerate the development of new 

fuel and engine technologies for 

maximum efficiency and petroleum 

displacement. This research was 

supported by the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office.

Advanced compression ignition 

combustion strategies are shown 

as a continuum based on the level 

of fuel stratification at ignition.

ORNL’s Dr. Jim Szybist works with a single 

cylinder engine to measure fuel characteristics.

Researchers developed a technique 

for creating zirconia-coated catalyst 

supports that enable efficient, durable 

catalyst operation at low temperatures.

RUNNING SMOOTHLY
Movement of 

goods across 

the country

Million Tons

47

Goods moved 

per day

Billion

Value of goods 49 moved per day

64%Movement of 

goods by truck

Data for 2012

14 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 15

Data help officials keep the 

nation’s freight moving 

A freight database developed with assistance from ORNL helps 

transportation officials improve highways, railroads, and other 

trade routes across the country. 

A team of ORNL researchers provided specialized data 

development, statistical analysis, and modeling support to create 

the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), the most comprehensive 

and widely used freight transportation data source in 

the United States.

The Department of Transportation updates the framework every 

5 years based on numbers from its Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS) Commodity Flow Survey, which captures about 

70% of freight transportation. ORNL fills in the other 30%, adding 

data on the domestic movements of foreign trade, as well as 

crude petroleum and retail services that are not represented in 

the BTS survey. 

Researchers applied modeling techniques to integrate disparate 

data sources into a comprehensive database that provides a 

national picture of freight flows.

“Freight Analysis Framework data help planners in 

the public and private sectors to better understand 

freight movement, analyze market trends, and make 

strategic decisions,” said Diane Davidson, leader of 

ORNL’s Transportation Planning and Decision Science 

Group. “Transportation planners use it to target 

resources to improve operations or increase capacity.”

The database captures freight movement by origin, destination, 

commodity, mode, trade type, tonnage, and value. Users can 

determine the amount and type of goods that move by highway, 

waterway, rail, and other modes of transportation between states, 

regions, and across the nation. An ORNL-developed data extraction 

tool makes it easy for users to access the information they need 

online at http://faf.ornl.gov.

FAF is one of the most used tools in the suite of transportation 

analytics developed by ORNL. Analytics support vehicle and 

transportation-system-wide efficiency gains through the 

development of predictive information, analytical methods, and 

vehicle systems data. Dr. Ho-Ling Hwang served as ORNL technical 

lead on the project, which was jointly funded by DOT BTS and the 

Federal Highway Administration.

Compare vehicles, mileage, and more at fueleconomy.gov

What type of vehicle to purchase depends on a variety of variables including fuel economy 

ratings, safety, maintenance history, and energy impacts. ORNL, in collaboration with the 

DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, provides one source for all of this information and more at 

fueleconomy.gov.

ORNL works with data provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency to offer the 

latest facts on all vehicles including those that use alternative fuels and electricity.

Consumers can make side-by-side comparisons; view best and worst miles-per-gallon lists; 

calculate gallons and dollars saved; and estimate, record, and track fuel economies on the 

site. In addition, ORNL published a downloadable and printed version of the latest data in 

the Fuel Economy Guide and offered a new, free Find-A-Car app for mobile users to compare 

vehicles on the go.

Market acceptance modeling tool available online

A MiniTool that offers a web-based lite version of MA3T (Market Acceptance for Advanced Automotive Technologies) has been 

released and demonstrated by ORNL researchers Dr. Zhenhong Lin, Dr. Fei Xie, and Rick Goeltz. MA3T is a market dynamics 

model that estimates demands for advanced vehicle powertrain technologies in response to assumptions about technology, 

infrastructure, consumers, and policies. The MiniTool provides a user-friendly interface for nontechnical users to modify input 

scenarios such as battery cost or infrastructure deployment and immediately observe the effect on market shares. To view the 

tool, visit http://teem.ornl.gov/minitool. This research was funded by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office. 

ORNL data support strategic decisions, public outreach 

An ORNL team led by Stacy Davis continued its long-standing support of DOE Vehicle Technologies 

Office (VTO) public communication efforts by publishing the Transportation Energy Data Book, the Vehicle 

Technologies Market Report, and the “Fact of the Week” for the VTO home page. 

The 35th edition of the Transportation Energy Data Book provides a wide range of current and historical 

transportation data, which serve as a foundation for policymakers, transportation analysts, and VTO staff 

in making strategic decisions. Approximately 9,100 visitors per month used the resource online, and hard 

copies were distributed to a nationwide mailing list.

The 2015 Vehicle Technologies Market Report was the seventh edition published by ORNL. The colorful 

graphics-based report details major trends in US transportation, including the use, markets, manufacture, 

and supply chains for light- to heavy-duty vehicles. Approximately 4,800 visitors per 

month accessed the report online.

Every Monday morning, ORNL provides a new Fact of the Week for the VTO 

home page (https://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/current-and-past-years-facts-week) 

and emails it to a subscriber list of 3,049. The topics align with the VTO mission 

and offer stakeholders and the general public readily accessible data points on 

transportation trends. 

A team led by researcher Rick 

Goeltz developed the Find-A-Car 

app as a tool for car buyers to 

compare vehicles on the go. The 

free app was downloaded more 

than 12,504 times in 2016.

Fact #955: New light vehicle fuel economy by vehicle class and model year, 

1975–2016. For more details, visit https://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-955-

december-12-2016-new-light-vehicle-fuel-economy-all-time-high

ANALYZING POSSIBILITIES

A freight database developed by ORNL helps 

transportation officials improve highways, railroads, 

ports, and other trade routes across the country.
Resource analysis conducted as part of the 2016 Billion-Ton 

Report shows the combined potential supplies from forestry, 

wastes, and agricultural resources for 2040.

16 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 17

US holds potential to produce 

a thriving bioeconomy by 2040

From the forests to the fields, the United States is rich 

in biomass, with the potential to sustain a burgeoning 

bioeconomy through renewable resources. 

The 2016 Billion-Ton Report, jointly released by ORNL and the 

US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, 

provides detailed analyses of what those resources are and 

where they are located—now and in the future—on a local, 

regional, and national scale.

The report concludes that the nation has the potential to 

sustainably produce at least 1 billion dry tons of nonfood 

biomass resources annually by 2040. Renewable resources 

include agricultural, forestry, and algal biomass, as well as 

waste. From currently available logging and crop residues 

to future available algae and dedicated energy crops, these 

resources are useable for the production of biofuel, biopower, 

and bioproducts.

The findings show that the United States could increase 

biomass production from 365 million dry tons to 1.5 billion 

dry tons under a high-yield scenario. The report also considers 

how the cost of preprocessing and transporting biomass to 

the biorefinery may impact feedstock availability.

Interactive tools available through the Bioenergy Knowledge 

Discovery Framework (bioenergykdf.net) allow researchers, 

policymakers, stakeholders, and the public to map and 

visualize biomass availability scenarios, tailoring the data by 

factors such as geographic area, biomass source, and price. 

In 2016, users generated more than 8,000 visualizations.

 “It’s our hope that our resource analysis work can 

inform strategies and contribute to the realization 

of a billion-ton bioeconomy vision,” said ORNL 

principal investigator Matt Langholtz. 

The analysis was led by ORNL with contributions from 65 

experts from federal agencies such as the US Forest Service, 

Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection 

Agency, Department of Transportation, and Federal Aviation 

Administration, as well as other national laboratories, 

universities, and industry.

ORNL and DOE produced the first billion-ton study in 2005, 

followed by an update in 2011. The current report updates and 

expands upon the previous studies and will soon include a 

first-ever second volume, which will provide analyses of the 

potential environmental effects of several scenarios presented 

in volume one. 

World’s experts tour region’s 

biomass resources

Bioenergy stakeholders and scientists from 

across the globe convened at ORNL for the 

Southeastern United States Bioenergy Study 

Tour in April 2016. Led by Virginia Dale, the 

5-day tour of the Southeast gave guests a 

first-hand view of the regional bioeconomy 

and spurred science-based discussions of 

bioenergy innovations developed by ORNL 

and the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office. 

Developing international codes and standards for the bioenergy industry 

Working closely with industry and the international bioenergy 

community, researchers are developing codes and standards 

that facilitate the growth of the bioeconomy.

As part of the Biomass Industry Panel for Codes and 

Standards, ORNL's Dr. Erin Webb conducted experiments 

to determine how factors such as feedstock type and bale 

size, shape, and spacing affect the speed at which a biomass 

fire can spread. These studies informed the development of 

standards on the safe handling and storage of biomass to 

reduce fire risks for the bioenergy industry. The effort has led 

to five changes to the International Building Code to date.

Studies by Dr. Mike Kass analyzing the compatibility of 

elastomers, metals, and sealants with ethanol-blended fuel in 

underground storage tank systems were cited in the federal 

register for storage standards. 

ORNL researchers Maggie Davis and Keith Kline contributed to 

the development and adoption of a new standard recognized 

by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO: 

13065) that specifies principles, criteria, and indicators for 

the whole bioenergy supply chain to facilitate assessment of 

environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability.

These research efforts were funded by the DOE Bioenergy 

Technologies Office. 

Energy-efficient reaction drives ORNL biofuel 

conversion technology

Researchers are working with licensee Vertimass LLC to scale an ORNLdeveloped conversion technology to the commercial level. The technology 

offers a pathway to convert biobased ethanol into hydrocarbon blend-stocks 

for use with gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels.

As the scientists were developing this new type of catalytic conversion 

technology, they found that the underlying reaction unfolds in a different 

manner from what previous studies of similar zeolite catalysts suggested.

It has long been thought that these types of reactions must first go from 

ethanol to ethylene and then on to form longer chains. In a study published 

in Scientific Reports, ORNL researchers showed that this energy-consuming 

intermediate step is not necessary for the conversion to happen. Instead, a 

hydrocarbon pool mechanism allows the zeolite catalysts to directly produce 

longer hydrocarbon chains from the original alcohols.

The research, supported by the 

DOE Bioenergy Technologies 

Office, has implications for 

the energy efficiency and 

cost of catalytic upgrading 

technologies proposed for use 

in biorefineries. Uncovering the 

mechanism behind the reaction 

helps support the potential 

economic viability of ORNL’s 

direct biofuel-to-hydrocarbon 

conversion approach.

The 2016 Billion-Ton Report builds on previous studies 

and offers updated projections of the economic 

availability of feedstocks across the nation.

Dr. Chaitanya Narula led analysis of 

an ORNL biofuel-to-hydrocarbon 

conversion technology to explain 

the underlying process. 

2016 BILLION-TON REPORT

Advancing Domestic Resources

for a Thriving Bioeconomy

Volume I | July 2016

BUILDING BIOMASS
$80 Million

149

244

220

32

5

22

13

25

16

14

R&D Budget

2016 

Patents

Industry Partners

Scientists and Engineers

Researchers 

and Fellows

Science Awards

2016 SAE Awards

R&D 100 Awards

2016 Publications

Research 

Areas

Professional Society Fellows 

2015 U.S. DRIVE

Highlights

Invention 

Disclosures

Patent 

Applications

Patents 

Awarded

ORNL technologies licensed in 2016 included the following:

• 30 University Partners

• 25 Collaborative Research and 

Development Agreements

• 100 Strategic Partnership Projects

• 5 Small Business Voucher Projects

• 9 Books and chapters 

• 35 Proceedings of conferences 

• 179 Journal articles 

• 21 Technical reports 

• Bioenergy technologies

• Data science and connected vehicles

• Electric drive technologies

• Energy storage

• Fuel cell technologies

• Fuels, engines, and emissions

• Lightweight materials 

• Propulsion materials

• Vehicle systems integration

• Vehicle cyber security

Carbon fiber precursor

LeMond Composites licensed an ORNL process that 

converts acrylic textile material into carbon fiber, 

reducing costs by 50%. Four other licenses are pending 

for the technology.

Carbon fiber production

RMX Technologies licensed ORNL plasma oxidation 

technology that reduces energy consumption by 75%, 

shortens production time by 2.5–3x, and decreases 

production costs by 20%. 

Lithium-sulfur batteries

Solid Power, Inc. licensed a portfolio of ORNL battery 

technologies to develop safe solid-state rechargeable 

batteries with high energy density.

iDriving real-time data

SanTed Project Management LLC licensed technology 

to determine how driving style factors impact fuel 

economy in real-time for the trucking industry.

National Transportation 

Research Center

DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office 

Department of 

Transportation 

DOE Fuel Cell 

Technologies Office

DOE Bioenergy 

Technologies Office

Industry, Academia, & 

Other (Strategic Partnership 

Projects + CRADAs)

DOE 

ARPA-E

50% 10%

6%

16%

2% 16%

18 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 19

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

by the numbers

TRANSFERRING TECHNOLOGY TO MARKET
Atomic structure of new aluminum alloy.

ORNL-developed alloy outperformed 

common aluminum alloys in yield strength 

and ultimate tensile strength at 300°C.

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

140 

160 

Alloy 356 Alloy 319 ORNL Alloy 

YS @ 300C after 200h pre-cond UTS @ 300C after 200h pre-cond 

YS Target 

Commercial Alloys ORNL, FCA, Nemak

UTS Target 

20 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 21

Atoms to engines: 

Accelerating alloy development 

using high-performance computing

A team led by ORNL material scientist Dr. Amit Shyam has developed a 

group of stronger, more heat-resistant aluminum alloys for high-efficiency 

automotive engines.

Automakers need powertrain materials that are not only lighter but also low 

cost and able to withstand the elevated temperatures and pressures in highefficiency turbocharged engines. 

“With standard materials development methods, it usually 

takes 10 to 20 years to deliver new alloys,” said ORNL propulsion 

program manager Dr. Allen Haynes. “The progress this team 

has accomplished in the past three years is groundbreaking.”

Researchers applied the big science capabilities available at ORNL to speed the 

process of alloy development, taking an integrated computational materials 

engineering approach. Their methods included development of models based 

on first-principles quantum mechanics and the scaling of those models for use 

on the Titan supercomputer. 

Models were validated using atom probe tomography and scanning 

transmission electron microscopy. With these tools at hand, the researchers 

tailored new alloys at the atomic level to achieve the strength and hightemperature stability necessary for use in automotive cylinder heads for 

next-generation engines.

Working closely with industry partners FCA US LLC and Nemak, the ORNL-led 

team made a series of microstructural discoveries that were applied to the 

design of an affordable new family of cast Al-Cu alloys that are much more 

heat tolerant than those currently in commercial use.

The team’s best performing alloy retained its strength and stability after 

200 hours at 300°C and doubled DOE’s mechanical properties targets at 

this temperature.

In the next year, Nemak will cast a full size cylinder head from the alloy for FCA 

to evaluate on an engine. Microstructural discoveries, methods, and materials 

genome information will be shared through publication in scientific journals.

The Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science–funded 

user facility, approved 6 million hours on Titan for the ORNL alloy development 

project. The DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences supports the microscopy 

equipment used for this project. The research to develop the new cast 

aluminum alloys is funded by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Propulsion 

Materials Program.

ORNL is home to Titan, one of the fastest computers in the 

world. Using that processing power, scientists are partnering 

with industry to tackle complex challenges in transportation. 

Knowledge discovery and technology development are the 

primary goals of this work, which includes supercomputing 

projects focused on magnetic materials for advanced 

electric machines and predictive modeling of energy 

storage technologies. The projects below are a sampling 

of computational research led by Dean Edwards and Dr. 

Charles Finney.

General Electric: 

Optimizing dual-fuel combustion

General Electric and ORNL are using high-performance 

computing to investigate key factors that promote cyclic 

variability in dual-fuel (natural gas/diesel) engines. These 

variations in combustion performance limit the potential 

benefits of dual-fuel operation and can even damage 

the engine. Using Titan, researchers performed hundreds 

of simultaneous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) 

engine simulations to increase understanding of how 

small changes in engine operation affect combustion. The 

original project received support through the Oak Ridge 

Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), which is funded by 

the DOE Office of Science. Researchers are continuing the 

work in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory 

and Convergent Science under a DOE ASCR Leadership 

Computing Challenge (ALCC) award and with support 

from the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO).

General Motors: 

Developing new fuel injectors

General Motors and ORNL used supercomputing to advance 

knowledge of spray physics and increase confidence in 

applying modeling tools to the development of novel fuel 

injectors and combustion systems that offer improved fuel 

efficiency. Researchers developed and demonstrated a CFD 

modeling approach that predicts the structure of gasoline 

fuel sprays due to fuel temperature and ambient pressure. 

The method reduced the time to perform these calculations 

by a factor of three. The project received an ALCC award and 

support from the DOE VTO.

General Motors: 

Modeling engine emissions

General Motors, ORNL, and Lawrence Livermore National 

Laboratory (LLNL) are developing predictive simulation tools 

for virtual engine design and calibration that could greatly 

reduce the number of on-engine experiments required to 

ensure new engine technologies meet performance and 

emissions standards. Using a GPU-enabled chemistry solver 

toolset developed by LLNL with CONVERGE CFD modeling 

software, the researchers significantly improved emissions 

predictions across the full operating range of the engine. The 

project received an ALCC award and support from DOE VTO.

Ohio State University: 

Predicting engine knock

ORNL is assisting Ohio State University in developing models 

to predict the occurrence of knock in engines. Knock—named 

for the sound an engine makes when fuel pre-ignites in an 

uncontrolled state—is a limiting factor for efficient combustion 

and engine design. Being able to better predict the factors 

that contribute to knock can speed the development of 

new engine technologies. Dr. Derek Splitter is the principal 

investigator for this project, which is supported by DOE VTO.

300°C Tensile Properties in MPa

A team of researchers led by ORNL’s 

Dr. Amit Shyam is using high-performance 

computing to speed the development of 

new high-temperature aluminum alloys for 

automotive cylinder heads.

Direct numerical simulation results showing 

initiation and progression of end-gas knock.

t = 1.15ms 1.55ms 1.90ms 

PROPELLING INNOVATIONS

Turbocharging R&D with high-performance computing
Researchers are developing controls for CAVs to smooth 

traffic flow, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and 

increase safety on the nation’s roadways.

22 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 23

Coming soon to a road near you: safer, more secure vehicles

Connected vehicle technology has 

the potential to reduce accidents by 

81% according to a study by the US 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

With the opportunity to save lives, 

save money, and even save fuel, Jason 

Carter of ORNL’s Cyber and Information 

Security Research Group calls this new 

connectivity “a game changer.”

Carter and his team have been assisting 

DOT on connected vehicle research 

since 2012. In fact, ORNL’s work was cited 

in DOT’s 2014 proposed rulemaking 

announcement regarding the potential 

regulation of vehicle-to-vehicle and 

vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity.

In the near future, new vehicles will 

include devices to allow them to 

communicate (connect) with similar 

devices in other vehicles, sending basic 

safety messages with information 

such as vehicle position, direction, 

speed, braking status, and size. Similar 

information will also be transmitted to 

stationary devices in the infrastructure, 

such as “smart” traffic lights.

Before this can happen, several 

challenges associated with the 

technology must be addressed. 

Carter is currently working on two 

interconnected projects with DOT, 

one addressing security issues, the 

other privacy. 

Authenticating messages

There is a critical need to have a 

means of ensuring the validity or 

trustworthiness of the messages 

exchanged between vehicles and 

between vehicles and the infrastructure 

without revealing identifying 

information. ORNL assessed the 

feasibility of building an authentication 

system with the trust/validation 

function delegated to the vehicles as 

well as various technical approaches. 

The team has delivered a concept 

of operations for this vehicle-based 

security system and is working on more 

in-depth modeling and vetting of some 

of the approaches. When implemented, 

this security system will be one of the 

largest of its kind ever.

Ensuring privacy

Researchers are looking at technology 

known as “privacy-preserving data 

publishing,” where certain identifying 

characteristics are removed or modified 

so the likelihood of the data being 

associated with a particular individual is 

reduced while the usefulness of the data 

is retained. The ORNL team successfully 

developed algorithms to do this for 

vehicle trajectory information collected 

from pilot studies, and they are applying 

and further developing this system.

These projects are supported by the 

National Highway Transportation 

Safety Administration, the Federal 

Highway Administration, and the 

Intelligent Transportation Systems 

Joint Program Office.

Improving cybersecurity for connected and automated vehicle technologies

Modern vehicles are essentially 

computers-on-wheels, operating with 

an average of 100 million lines of code 

and 150 control units. Those numbers are 

on the rise as automakers expand safety, 

entertainment, and autonomous driving 

features. Each of these sensors and 

connectivity features—from adaptive 

cruise control to Wi-Fi and GPS—creates 

a potential opening for cyberattack. 

ORNL is working to address this national 

transportation challenge through 

research and development focused 

on predictive assessment of potential 

threat vectors—partnering with industry 

to engineer secure solutions for new 

vehicles before they hit the road.

In 2016, ORNL augmented long-standing 

cybersecurity capabilities with a new 

Vehicle Security Laboratory established 

at the National Transportation Research 

Center (NTRC). The facility, with its full 

vehicle dynamometer and specialized 

scanning equipment, has been key 

to recent research into methods of 

detecting vehicle network intrusions.

Researchers Dr. Robert Bridges, 

Dr. Stacy Prowell, Frank Combs, Michael 

Moore, and Michael Starr are using the 

new laboratory to develop a method 

to detect anomalies in the timing 

of signals in the onboard vehicle 

communications network. These 

variations in signal patterns can indicate 

cyberattack. The team prototyped a 

novel aftermarket plug-in detector that 

alerts the driver to potential attack.

Algorithms rev up fuel efficiency for 

connected and automated vehicles

A future where vehicles exchange communications with each other 

and with the infrastructure seems right around the corner. How to take 

advantage of this emerging connectivity to alleviate traffic congestion, 

reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and increase safety on the 

nation’s roadways is a complex challenge that researchers at ORNL are 

investigating. 

 Scientists Dr. Andreas Malikopoulos and Dr. Jackeline Rios-Torres have 

developed algorithms and an optimization framework to coordinate 

traffic flow and increase energy efficiency for connected and 

automated vehicles (CAVs). One of the scenarios they examined 

focused on vehicles merging at highway on-ramps.

When implemented in simulations with traffic made up entirely of 

CAVs, these optimization controls showed the potential to reduce fuel 

consumption by up to 50% and travel time by 7%.

With near-term traffic more likely to include a mix of CAVs and 

traditional vehicles, the team also assessed the potential energy 

efficiency benefits of different numbers of CAVs on the road. 

The analysis found fuel consumption is reduced by 40% if only 30% of 

the vehicles are CAVs, demonstrating that energy savings from CAVs 

could come relatively early in the consumer adoption process. 

However, to achieve the 7% savings in travel time, at least 70% of the 

vehicles on the merging roads must be CAVs.

Malikopoulos and team were awarded a grant from DOE’s Advanced 

Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to advance their algorithm 

work, with a focus on achieving a 20% improvement in vehicle energy 

efficiency. The grant challenges the team to develop novel two-level 

optimization controls for CAVs that coordinate traffic flow and routing 

while optimizing real-time powertrain efficiency. 

The results of ORNL research focused on CAVs have been published in 

a series of seven papers to date. This research was supported by the 

DOE Vehicle Technologies Office and through ORNL Laboratory 

Directed Research and Development funds. Simulations using ORNL-developed 

algorithms showed the potential to 

reduce fuel consumption by up to 50% 

and travel time by 7% for CAVs merging 

at highway on-ramps.

Optimizing traffic flow 

at highway on-ramps

Simulation results show a potential

Reduction in 

Fuel Consumption

Reduction in 

Travel Time

50%

7%

ORNL is assisting DOT with the development 

of a vehicle-based credential management 

system that can increase safety and security 

while maintaining privacy in connected and 

automated vehicle communications.

The Vehicle Security Laboratory at NTRC 

integrates ORNL expertise in vehicle systems, 

cyber security, and predictive modeling.

CONNECTING TO THE FUTURE
The aluminum–cerium alloy does not require heat 

treatment and maintains 100% of room temperature 

mechanical properties after 1,000 hours at 400°C.

24 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 25

Cross-laboratory capabilities speed 

development of new Al-Ce alloy

Experts in combustion, materials science, and manufacturing 

came together to accelerate research and development of a new 

aluminum–cerium alloy created through the Critical Materials 

Institute (CMI), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub.

Cerium is one of the most abundant rare earth materials, but its 

usage to date has been limited. Rare earths such as neodymium and 

dysprosium are frequently used in electronics, electric vehicles, and 

other modern technologies. Currently, there is no domestic supply 

chain for these materials, which are imported, primarily from China. 

Using cerium in a high-volume application such as cylinder heads 

for automotive engines could create momentum toward the 

establishment of a US rare earth industry, increasing energy security. 

As part of this CMI initiative, an ORNL research team led by principal 

investigator Dr. Orlando Rios partnered with Lawrence Livermore 

National Laboratory and Eck Industries to develop aluminum–

cerium alloys that are easier to cast and have higher heat tolerance 

than common commercial aluminum alloys. 

In a matter of months, the aluminum–cerium alloy went from 

conception to casting to on-engine evaluation. Partner Eck 

Industries cast a cylinder head from the alloy using 3D printed sand 

molds. Researcher Dr. Scott Curran conducted experiments with 

the component on a small four-stroke engine at ORNL’s National 

Transportation Research Center, demonstrating the stable operation 

of the alloy under full load at temperatures reaching 600°C.

Further evaluations are under way using neutrons to examine 

residual stress and other indicators of alloy performance while the 

engine is in operation in the Vulcan beamline at ORNL’s Spallation 

Neutron Source.

CMI is funded by the DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office. 

The engine experiments were conducted through capabilities 

supported by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office. The 

Spallation Neutron Source is a user facility funded by the DOE 

Office of Science.

ORNL contributes to standards development for heavy-duty trucks 

When heavy-duty and medium-sized 

trucks traverse the nation’s roadways, 

they’re doing so on the wheels 

of ORNL research.

A research team lead by Paul Chambon 

in the Vehicle Systems Integration 

(VSI) Laboratory played prominent 

roles in assisting the US Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) with the 

development of phase 2 greenhouse 

gas (GHG) and fuel efficiency standards 

for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

ORNL contributed to the development 

and evaluation of the new engine 

and powertrain test procedure 

options associated with the GHG 

certification process. 

In the rulemaking, EPA refers to the 

new powertrain test procedures that 

ORNL is helping to develop as having 

the potential to “become an optimal 

certification path that leverages 

the accuracy of powertrain testing 

along with the versatility of the GHG 

Model, which alleviates the need 

to test a large number of vehicle or 

powertrain variants.” 

Other ORNL organizations and 

researchers were involved in 

corroborating the societal benefits 

and energy security implications of the 

new rules. The new standards, jointly 

proposed by the National Highway 

Transportation Safety Administration 

and EPA, are designed to cut carbon 

pollution by about 1 billion metric 

tons and save about 1.8 billion barrels 

of oil (75 billion gallons of fuel) over 

the lifetime of the vehicles covered 

by the standards.

ORNL’s VSI Laboratory offers unique 

capabilities to test, simulate, and evaluate 

conventional and hybrid powertrain 

components and configurations for 

vehicles ranging from light-duty cars to 

Class 8 trucks. 

Real-time tracking system monitors fuel shipments

Researchers at ORNL and partners from 

private industry have developed an 

integrated monitoring system that can 

track the movement of goods in real 

time and flag suspicious activity. 

Developed for the Federal Highway 

Administration, the proof-of-concept 

system can be used to identify illegal 

blending of nontaxable petrochemical 

products with taxable fuel products 

and cross-jurisdictional tax evasion.

The supply-chain-based system tracks 

fueling stops, loading, and unloading 

and provides real-time notification of 

any variation in standard delivery 

processes (e.g., a hatch or valve left 

open or an unplanned stop) from the 

tanker’s point of origin to its 

final destination. 

An evidential reasoning system based 

on ORNL-developed algorithms 

classifies the tankers’ movements as 

normal or needing further 

investigation based on information 

from valve and hatch sensors, vehicle 

coordinates, carrier-supplied fuel 

orders and routing details, and the 

locations of fuel distribution centers. 

A custom-developed user interface alerts 

carriers to possible fuel theft, while a 

query tool allows trucking companies 

and state and federal auditors to access 

records of fuel movements.

An ORNL team led by Dr. Gary Capps 

and Oscar Franzese conducted a pilot 

test with three commercial fuel tankers 

collecting real-world data during 

normal operations over an 8-month 

period. During the pilot phase, the 

vehicles logged a total of 375,000 miles 

and transported more than 7.5 million 

gallons of fuel. 

Results of the monitoring system study 

are expected to inform future 

rulemakings. The system could also be 

used to track other activities where 

real-time tracking and flagging of 

suspicious or unusual activity is needed. 

Partners on the project were Barger 

Transport, Liquid Bulk Tank, Innovative 

Software Engineering, and Air-Weigh.

Vehicle Systems Integration Laboratory at 

the National Transporation Research Center.

Devices track the location of the tanker and 

fuel intake, supplying information to the 

real-time monitoring system.

DRIVING RESULTS
26 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 27

Laser treatment creates 

strong, multimaterial joints 

for vehicle lightweighting

Joining carbon fiber composites and aluminum for lightweight 

cars and other high-end multimaterial products could become 

less expensive and the joints more robust because of a new 

method that harnesses a laser’s power and precision.

An ORNL team led by Dr. Adrian Sabau developed a new 

process that could replace the practice of preparing the 

surface of materials by hand using abrasive pads, grit blasting, 

and environmentally harmful solvents. Using a laser to remove 

layers of material from surfaces prior to bonding improves 

the performance of the joints and provides a path toward 

automation for high-volume use.

“Our technique is vastly superior to the conventional 

surface preparation methods,” Sabau said. 

“Combined with the potentially dramatic reduction 

in the cost of carbon fiber polymer composites, this 

represents an important step toward increasing the 

use of this lightweight high-strength material in 

automobiles, which could reduce the weight of cars 

and trucks by 750 pounds.”

Treating the surface of aluminum and carbon fiber polymer 

composite is a critical step in the adhesive joining process, which 

directly affects the quality of bonded joints. Aluminum surfaces 

contain oils and other contaminants from production rolling 

operations, while carbon fiber surfaces contain mold releases.

“These surface contaminants affect surface energies and the 

quality of adhesion, so it is critical that they are removed,” 

said Sabau, adding that the laser also penetrates into the top 

resin layer, leaving individual carbon fibers exposed for direct 

bonding to the adhesive and increasing the surface area for 

better adhesion.

Test results support Sabau’s optimism as single-lap shear 

joint specimens showed strength, maximum load, and 

displacement at maximum load were increased by 15%, 

16%, and 100%, respectively, over those measured for the 

baseline joints. Also, joints made with laser-structured surfaces 

can absorb approximately 200% more energy than the 

conventionally prepared baseline joints, researchers reported.

Sabau noted that the process also doubles the energy 

absorption in the joints, which has implications for crash safety 

and potential use in armor for people and vehicles. Tim Skszek 

of Magna International (Troy, Michigan), a project partner, 

shares Sabau’s enthusiasm.

“The results are most encouraging, enabling the automated 

processing of a multimaterial carbon fiber–aluminum joint,” 

Skszek said. “With this work, we were able to focus on 

addressing the gaps in technology and commercial use, and 

we look forward to applying these findings to products.”

This research was funded by the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office.

Lower cost alloys for higher temperature exhaust valves improve vehicle efficiency

Future high-efficiency engines will 

require exhaust valves to be able to 

take the heat—potentially upwards 

of 950°C by 2025. Alloys that can 

withstand high temperatures are 

needed so that car manufacturers 

can produce vehicles with new 

engines using advanced internal 

combustion regimes. 

A team led by ORNL’s Govindarajan 

Muralidharan has developed lower 

cost, higher strength nickel-based 

alloys capable of withstanding more 

extreme temperatures than the alloys 

currently used in exhaust valves. 

The new alloys have been designed 

to contain up to 40% less nickel, 

achieving high strength without 

the addition of expensive alloying 

elements. Nickel-based alloys are 

strong with good oxidation resistance 

at temperatures up to 950°C.

A computationally guided approach 

was used to develop this new 

class of lower-nickel alloys. Several 

experimental strategies to improve 

oxidation resistance have also 

been evaluated.

Oxidation lessened with the addition 

of trace amounts of reactive elements. 

This research was sponsored by the 

DOE Vehicle Technologies Office.

Predictive engineering tools for injection-molded carbon fiber composites

Using advanced characterization 

capabilities and an ORNL-developed 

process called the "method of 

ellipses," scientists have validated 

new 3D models for using long carbon 

fiber–reinforced thermoplastics in 

injection molding. 

Injection molding with thermoplastics 

is a common manufacturing 

method in the automotive industry 

for fast, economical assemblyline production of nonstructural 

components such as cup holders 

and interior trim. Adding long carbon 

fibers to the thermoplastic resins 

produces stronger components and 

presents a potential path for vehicle 

lightweighting through replacing 

parts traditionally made with stainless 

steel and other metals.

Getting the right concentration 

of carbon fibers is important to 

the end product’s stiffness and 

strength. If the carbon fiber is not 

distributed to the critical sections 

of the component or the fibers are 

oriented incorrectly, the strength of 

the resulting product is lessened.

Though models for injection molding 

existed, there was no previous method 

that could predict the distribution, 

orientation, and density of the long 

carbon fibers in the mold.

Predictive modeling tools developed 

by ORNL principal investigators Dr. C. 

David Warren and Dr. Vlastimil Kunc 

and partners Ford Motor Company, 

Moldex 3D, BASF, the University of 

Illinois, Virginia Tech, and PlastiComp 

provide a solution to the problem.

“We’ve created a model that allows 

us to understand where the fiber 

is, what the fiber orientation is, 

and what the fiber density is,” said 

Warren. “You can then measure on 

average what the fiber length would 

be and, with those parameters, 

identify what the properties are.”

The models allow engineers to tailor 

material properties for new parts, 

changing processing parameters to 

produce exactly what is needed and 

avoiding expensive trial and error. Ford 

is applying these predictive models 

to the manufacture of components 

for new vehicles. 

This research was supported by the 

DOE Vehicle Technologies Office.

Dr. Adrian Sabau and Dr. Jian Chen work with a laser 

to prepare the surfaces of carbon fiber composites 

and aluminum to create superior bonds that can 

absorb 200% more energy than conventional bonds. 

Nickel-based alloys can be used 

in exhaust valves at temperatures 

up to 950°C.

An automotive seat frame was used as 

the test case for the modeling methods 

because it had the necessary complexity, 

with changes in thickness, ribs, holes, 

and changes in flow direction.

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

Alloy 751 Udimet 520 ORNL 161

Yield Strength (psi)

Stronger exhaust valve alloys

Room Temp

870°C

950°C

71% Ni+Co

68% Ni+Co

48% Ni+Co

Method of ellipses aids in determining fiber orientation

Model of predicted filling pattern

IMPROVING COSTS
XALT Energy and ORNL 

developed a new coating 

technology that increases 

battery energy density, 

potentially enabling 

Formula E race cars that 

currently last only half the 

race to power through the 

whole race to the finish line.

Build a domestic 

supply chain and 

create domestic jobs

Improve 

battery performance 

and safety 

Advance 

manufacturing science 

and production yield

Reduce costs of 

battery production to 

meet consumer needs

$

Battery Research 

Objectives

28 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 29

Building better 

batteries with neutrons and 

computational modeling 

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from 

phones to hybrid electric vehicles, keeping 

electronics humming along. Dependable and 

durable, these batteries are gaining traction in 

the transportation industry. Knowing how well 

a lithium-ion battery will perform in a vehicle 

is critical and, as researchers at ORNL have 

determined, depends largely on the uniformity 

and distribution of lithium in the electrodes.

ORNL researchers have developed a way 

to better track the movement and amount 

of lithium during battery cycling using 

computational modeling, neutron imaging, 

and neutron diffraction—all part of an effort 

to develop more efficient and safer batteries.

“Inhomogeneity in local lithium 

concentration and transport across cell 

thickness is what triggers degradation 

and ultimately limits battery capacity 

and lifetime, and this study is a model 

demonstration which can be easily 

extended to commercial lithium-ion 

cells,” ORNL lead researcher 

Dr. Jagjit Nanda said. 

To unravel the mechanisms that cause lithium 

concentration differences, researchers used 

neutron imaging and neutron diffraction to 

visualize the distribution of lithium across 

the cell at various scales (tens of micrometers 

to nanometers) and to map the position of 

lithium ions in the crystal lattice and structural 

changes the lattice undergoes with cycling. 

“Neutrons are sensitive to light elements such 

as lithium and thus can follow its transport 

evolution in a functioning battery. Neutrons 

offer unique insights into the battery behavior 

during charge and discharge,” said Dr. Hassina 

Bilheux, who leads neutron imaging at 

ORNL for the study.

The neutron data were compared to lithium 

concentration profiles generated using 

computational models. These electrochemical 

transport models were created and made 

publicly available through AMPERES, a highfidelity 3D simulation component developed 

under the Computer-Aided Engineering for 

Batteries (CAEBAT) project. While the traditional 

approximate models implemented in AMPERES 

have been validated previously, this is the first 

time the more accurate models have been 

compared with experimental results. 

“The ability to more accurately represent the 

complexities of real materials and behavior 

is key to improving the performance and 

safety of batteries,” said Dr. John Turner, 

who leads the CAEBAT project at ORNL.

The project provides a proof-of-principle 

example for how the combined capabilities 

of neutron imaging, neutron diffraction, 

and computational modeling can enable 

discoveries about chemical and phase 

transformations within batteries. 

“This will no doubt herald a new era in the 

area of multimodal-multiscale imaging 

applied to energy storage and conversion 

systems,” said Nanda.

This work was accomplished with funding 

from the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office 

using pouch cells created in the DOE Battery 

Manufacturing R&D Facility supported 

through the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency 

and Renewable Energy. Neutron capabilities 

were provided by the ORNL Spallation 

Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope 

Reactor, which are DOE Office of Science user 

facilities operated by ORNL. CAEBAT models 

created with funding from the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office were also critical to the 

success of the study. 

Electron beam technology cures cathode 

coatings instantly

Scientists at ORNL are using the precision of an electron beam 

to instantly adhere cathode coatings for lithium-ion batteries—a 

leap in efficiency that promises to save energy, reduce production 

and capital costs, and eliminate the use of toxic solvents. 

Conventional electrode processing uses flammable, toxic 

N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent, which must be 

vaporized and recovered during battery production. ORNL’s 

method uses an electron beam to cure coating material as 

it rolls down the production line, creating instantaneous 

cross-links between molecules that bind the coating to a foil 

substrate, without the need for solvents, in less than a second. 

“Typical curing processes can require drying machinery the length 

of a football field and expensive equipment for solvent recovery,” 

said principal investigator Dr. David Wood. “This approach presents 

a promising avenue for fast, energy-efficient manufacturing 

of high-performance, low-cost lithium-ion batteries.” 

This research was supported by the DOE Vehicle Technologies 

Office and conducted in collaboration with ebeam Technologies 

USA. Details of the coating technique were published in the 

Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 

Fast formation protocol speeds production, improves 

battery capacity

A new process developed by ORNL could alleviate a bottleneck in battery 

manufacturing and deliver higher capacity batteries for electric vehicles and 

consumer devices. 

The formation process—where batteries undergo repeated cycling to stabilize 

and activate them for use—is one of the most time- and energy-intensive 

production steps. The researchers’ new fast-formation protocol could shorten that 

time frame by six times or more, saving production costs and energy. 

The ORNL method, described in the Journal of Power Sources, demonstrated the 

effectiveness of using more numerous and shallow charge-discharge cycles 

between 3.9 V and 4.2 V and fewer full depth of discharge cycles below 3.9 V. 

Evaluation showed the new protocol reduced surface film (electrolyte interphase) 

resistances and conserved lithium inventory, which improves battery capacity. 

The process is applicable to all lithium-ion batteries and can be tuned for other 

chemistries as well. 

This research team was led by Dr. David Wood and supported by the DOE Vehicle 

Technologies Office.

Radiograph shows change in 

contrast as lithium is incorporated 

into the graphite electrodes.

ORNL’s Zhijia Du prepares material samples for electron 

beam curing, which instantly cross-links the binding resins in 

coating material at a high line speed of 500 feet per minute. 

ORNL’s Seong Jin An works with lithium-ion 

batteries undergoing an ORNL-developed 

fast-formation protocol that shortens 

battery production by up to six times. 

Illustration shows the use of acrylated oligomers 

as binders in Li-ion battery electrodes.

ROLLING ALONG
2016 STP Annual Report – 31

Integrating science capabilities to address 

national transportation challenges

• BioEnergy Science Center

• Center for Nanophase Materials Science 

• High Flux Isotope Reactor 

• Manufacturing Demonstration Facility 

• Materials Science and Technology Division

• National Transportation Research Center

• Nuclear Science User Facilities 

• Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility 

• Spallation Neutron Source

LEADERSHIP SCIENCE
USCAR Team Awards

• Advanced Combustion and Emissions Control (ACEC) Fuels 

Roadmap Subteam – Dr. Ron Graves and Dr. Jim Szybist

• ACEC Low Temperature Aftertreatment Subteam – 

Dr. James E. Parks, II and Josh Pihl

SAE International 

• Forest R. McFarland Award – Dr. John Storey, Dr. Jim Szybist, 

John Thomas

• Myers Award – Martin Wissink

Newly Elected Fellows

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Dr. Robert Wagner 

• ASM International – Dr. Michael Brady

• ORNL Corporate Fellow – Dr. Nancy Dudney

• SAE International – Dr. Johney Green 

DOE Distinguished Achievement Awards

• ORNL wireless power transfer team – Steven Campbell, 

Paul Chambon, Dr. Madhu Chinthavali, Dr. Omer Onar, Dr. Burak 

Ozpineci, Larry Seiber, Dr. David Smith, Dr. Lixin Tang, Cliff White 

and Randy Wiles

• H2 at Scale – ORNL’s David Wood participates on the team led 

by Dr. Brian Pivovar of National Renewable Energy Laboratory

National and Regional Awards 

• Gilbreth Lectureship Award from the National Academy 

of Engineering – Dr. Claus Daniel

• Biodiesel Researcher of the Year Award from the National 

Biodiesel Board – Dr. Michael Lance 

• Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association (TAMA) 

Hall of Fame – Dr. Ron Graves

R&D 100 Awards 

• R&D 100 Award Winner 

Waste tire derived carbon

ORNL material chemists devised a proprietary process for repurposing discarded car tires as a source 

of carbon powder, a sooty hydrocarbon byproduct that can be modified to incorporate into anodes 

of lithium-ion batteries.

Research team: ORNL’s Dr. Parans Paranthaman and partner RJ Lee Group

Funding for this project was provided by the DOE’s Office of Science and ORNL’s Technology Innovation Program.

• Special Recognition Award Winner

Wireless power transfer based electric and plug-In vehicle charging system

Researchers developed the world’s first 20-kW wireless charging system for passenger cars and achieved 

90% efficiency at three times the rate of the plug-in systems commonly used for electric vehicles today.

Research team: ORNL’s Steven Campbell, Paul Chambon, Madhu Chinthavali, Dr. Omer Onar, Dr. Burak 

Ozpineci, Larry Seiber, Dr. David Smith, Dr. Lixin Tang, Cliff White, and Randy Wiles, as well as retired staff 

members Curt Ayers, Chester Coomer, and Dr. John Miller, with partners Toyota Motor Engineering & 

Manufacturing North America, Cisco Systems, and the International Transportation Innovation Center

Funding for this project was provided by the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, Vehicle 

Technologies Office.

• R&D 100 Award Finalists

Plasma oxidation for rapid processing of carbon fiber 

Plasma oxidation technology developed by ORNL and RMX Technologies accelerates the oxidation stage 

of carbon fiber production. The innovation cuts processing time by a factor of 2.5 to 3 times, reduces 

energy consumption by 75%, and lowers production costs by 20% while maintaining or improving 

carbon fiber quality.

Research team: ORNL’s Felix Paulauskus and Dr. C. David Warren with partner RMX Technologies

Funding for this project was provided by the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, Vehicle 

Technologies Office. 

SHARP-ion battery 

ORNL assisted Sharp in the development of low-cost sodium-ion battery technology. This technology 

provides comparable performance and safety with the potential of lowering costs by 25% and lasting 

10 times longer than lithium-ion batteries.

Research team: ORNL’s Jianlin Li, David Wood, and Claus Daniel assisted Sharp 

This research was conducted as part of a strategic partnership project.

32 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 33

SAE International honored (from left) Dr. John Storey, 

Martin Wissink, Dr. Johney Green, Dr. Jim Szybist, and 

John Thomas at the 2016 SAE World Congress.

DOE Distinguished Achievement Award recipients are 

(bottom row from left) Cliff White, Madhu Chinthavali, 

Dr. Omer Onar, Steven Campbell, Larry Seiber; (top row) 

Dr. Lixin Tang, Paul Chambon, Dr. Burak Ozpineci, Randy Wiles. 

Dr. Ron Graves (right) is inducted into the Tennessee 

Automotive Manufacturers Association’s Hall of Fame 

with fellow honoree, former Tennessee governor Phil 

Bredesen (left) by TAMA President Rick Youngblood.

HONORS AND AWARDS
Selected publications:

An, S.J., S. Nagpure, J. Li., C. Daniel, D. 

Mohanty, and D.L. Wood, III. 2016. “The State 

of Understanding of the Lithium-Ion-Battery 

Graphite Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) and 

Its Relationship to Formation Cycling.” Carbon

105, 52–76.

Binder, Andrew J., Todd J. Toops, Raymond R. 

Unocic, James E. Parks II, and Sheng Dai. 2015. 

“Low Temperature CO Oxidation over Ternary 

Oxide with High Resistance to Hydrocarbon 

Inhibition.” Angewandte Chemie International 

Edition 54, 13263–13267.

Chi, Miaofang, Chao Wang, Yinkai Lei, Guofeng 

Wang, Dongguo Li, Karren L. More, Andrew 

Lupini, Lawrence F. Allard, Nenad M. Markovic, 

and Voljislav R. Stamenkovic. 2015. “Surface 

faceting and elemental diffusion behavior at 

atomic scale for alloy nanoparticles during in situ 

annealing.” Nature Communications 6, Article 

number: 8925. doi:10.1038/ncomms9925.

Chinthavali, M., O.C. Onar, S.L. Campbell, and 

L.M. Tolbert. 2016. “All-SiC inductively coupled 

charger with integrated plug-in and boost 

functionalities for PEV applications.” 2016 IEEE 

Applied Power Electronics Conference and 

Exposition. doi: 10.1109/APEC.2016.7468037.

Choi, Jae-Soon, Alan H. Zacher, Huamin Wang, 

Mariefel V. Olarte, Beth L. Armstrong, Harry M. 

Meyer III, I. Ilgaz Soykal, and Viviane Schwartz. 

2016. “Molybdenum carbides, active and in situ 

regenerable catalysts in hydroprocessing of fast 

pyrolysis bio-oil.” Energy & Fuels 30, 5016−5026.

Colak, K., E. Asa, M. Bojarski, D. Czarkowski, and 

O.C. Onar. 2015. “A Novel Phase-Shift Control 

of Semibridgeless Active Rectifier for Wireless 

Power Transfer.” IEEE Transactions on Power 

Electronics 30(11), 6288–6297. doi: 10.1109/

tpel.2015.2430832.

Dale, V.H., K.L. Kline, M.A. Buford, T.A. Volk, 

C.T. Smith, and I. Stupak. 2016. “Incorporating 

bioenergy into sustainable landscape designs.” 

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 56, 

1158–1171. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.038.

Das, Sujit. 2016. “Vehicle lightweighting energy 

use impacts in U.S. light-duty vehicle fleet.” 

Sustainable Materials and Technologies 8, 5–13.

Davis, S.C., S.W. Diegel, and R.G. Boundy. 2015. 

Transportation Energy Data Book, 34 ed., ORNL/

TM-2015/427, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 

Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Dempsey, Adam B., Scott J. Curran, and Robert 

M. Wagner. 2016. “A perspective on the range 

of gasoline compression ignition combustion 

strategies for high engine efficiency and low 

NOx and soot emissions: Effects of in-cylinder 

fuel stratification.” International Journal 

of Engine Research. 17(8), 897–917. doi: 

10.1177/1468087415621805.

Du, Z., C. Janke, J. Li, C. Daniel, and D.L. Wood, 

III. 2016. “Electron Beam Curing of Composite 

Positive Electrode for Li-Ion Batteries.” Journal of 

the Electrochemical Society 163, A2776–A2780.

Griffiths, N.A., C.R. Jackson, J.J. McDonnell, 

J. Klaus, E. Du, and M.M. Bitew. 2016. “Dual 

nitrate isotopes clarify the role of biological 

processing and hydrologic flowpaths on nitrogen 

cycling in subtropical low-gradient watersheds.” 

JGR: Biogeosciences. 121, 422–437. doi: 

10.1002/2015JG003189.

Kline, K.L., S. Msangi, V.H. Dale, J. Woods, G. 

Souza, P. Osseweijer, J. Clancy, J. Hilbert, H. 

Mugera, P. McDonnell, and F. Johnson. 2016. 

“Reconciling food security and bioenergy: 

priorities for action.” Global Change Biology 

Bioenergy. 9(3) 557–576. doi: 10.1111/

gcbb.12366. 

Lucci, F.R., J. Liu, M.D. Marcinkowski, M. Yang, 

L.F. Allard, Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, 

and E. Charles H. Sykes. 2015. “Selective 

hydrogenation of 1, 3-butadiene on platinumcopper alloys at the single-atom limit.” Nature 

Communications 6. doi: 10.1038/ncomms9550.

McCollum, D.L., C. Wilson, H. Pettifor, K. 

Ramea, C. Bertram, Z. Lin, O. Edelenbosch, and 

S. Fujisawa. 2016. “Improving the behavioral 

realism of global integrated assessment models: 

An application to consumers’ vehicle choices.” 

Transportation Research Part D. doi: 10.1016/j.

trd.2016.04.003.

Mohanty, D., J. Li, C. Daniel, and D. L. Wood III. 

2016. “Effect of Electrode Manufacturing Defects 

on Electrochemical Performance of Lithium-Ion 

Batteries; Cognizance of the Battery Failure 

Sources.” Journal of Power Sources 312, 70–79.

Mohanty, D., K. Dahlberg, D.M. King, L.A. 

David, A.S. Sefat, D.L. Wood III, C. Daniel, 

S. Dhar, V. Mahajan, M. Lee, and F. Albano. 

2016. “Modification of Ni-Rich FCG NMC and 

NCA Cathodes by Atomic Layer Deposition: 

Preventing Surface Phase Transitions for HighVoltage Lithium-Ion Batteries.” Scientific Reports

6, 26532.

Narula, C.K., X. Yang, C. Li, A. Lupini, and S. 

Pennycook. 2015. “A Pathway for the Growth 

of Core-Shell Pt-Pd nanoparticles.” Journal of 

Physical Chemistry C. 119, 25114–25121.

Narula, Chaitanya K., Zhenglong Li, Erik M. 

Casbeer, Robert A. Geiger, Melanie MosesDebusk, Martin Keller, Michelle V. Buchanan, 

and Brian Davison. 2015. “Hertobimetallic 

zeolite, INV-ZSM-5, enables efficient conversion 

of biomass derived ethanol to renewable 

hydrocarbons.” Scientific Reports 5, Article 

number: 16039. doi: 10.1038/srep16039.

Onar, O.C., S.L. Campbell, L.E. Seiber, C.P. 

White, and M. Chinthavali. 2016. “A highpower wireless charging system development 

and integration for a Toyota RAV4 electric 

vehicle.” 2016 IEEE Transportation 

Electrification Conference and Expo. doi: 

10.1109/ITEC.2016.7520247.

Rios-Torres, J., and A.A. Malikopoulos. 2016. 

“Automated and Cooperative Vehicle Merging 

at Highway On-Ramps.” IEEE Transactions 

on Intelligent Transportation Systems 18(4), 

780–789. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2016.2587582.

Rios-Torres, J., and A.A. Malikopoulos. 2016. 

“Energy Impact of Different Penetrations 

of Connected and Automated Vehicles: A 

Preliminary Assessment.” Proceedings of 9th 

ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on 

Computational Transportation Science.

St. John, S., R.W. Atkinson III, K.A. Unocic, 

R.R. Unocic, T.A. Zawodzinski, and A.B. 

Papandrew. 2015. “Platinum and Palladium 

Over Layers Dramatically Enhance the Activity 

of Ruthenium Nanotubes for Alkaline Hydrogen 

Oxidation.” ACS Catalysis 5(11), 7015–7023.

Storey, John, Scott Curran, Samuel Lewis, 

Teresa Barone, Adam Dempsey, Melanie 

Moses Debusk, Reed Hanson, Vitaly Prikhodko, 

and William Northrop. 2016. “Evolution and 

current understanding of physicochemical 

characterization of particulate matter (PM) 

from reactivity controlled compression ignition 

(RCCI) combustion on a multi-cylinder lightduty engine.” International Journal of Engine 

Research, special issue on Soot Dynamics. 

US Department of Energy. 2016. 2016 BillionTon Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for 

a Thriving Bioeconomy, Volume 1: Economic 

Availability of Feedstocks. M. H. Langholtz, B. 

J. Stokes, and L. M. Eaton (Leads), ORNL/TM2016/160. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak 

Ridge, TN. 448pp. doi: 10.2172/1271651.

Wang, C., G. Barbarino, L.F. Allard, F. Wilson, G. 

Busca, and M. Flytzani-Stephanopoulos. 2016. 

“Low-Temperature Dehydrogenation of Ethanol 

on Atomically Dispersed Gold Supported on 

ZnZrOx.” ACS Catalysis 6, 210–218.

Yartys, V.A., M. Lototskyy, V. Linkov, D. Grant, 

A. Stuart, Jon Eriksen, R. Denys, and R. C. 

Bowman Jr. 2016. “Metal hydride hydrogen 

compression: recent advances and future 

prospects.” Applied Physics A 122, 415. 

Zhang, Y.Z., A.A. Malikopoulos, and C.G. 

Cassandras. 2016. “Optimal Control and 

Coordination of Connected and Automated 

Vehicles at Urban Traffic Intersections.” 

Proceedings of the 2016 American Control 

Conference, pp. 6227–6232. 

Most downloaded article of 2016 for GCB Bioenergy: 

“Reconciling food security and bioenergy: priorities for action,” authored by K. Kline, S. Msangi, V.H. Dale, J. Woods, 

G. Souza, P. Osseweijer, J. Clancy, J. Hilbert, H. Mugera, P. McDonnell, and F. Johnson, GCB Bioenergy, 9, 557, 2016.

Top 10 all-time most-cited articles in Tribology Letters: 

“Ionic liquids with ammonium cations as lubricants or additives,” authored by J. Qu, J.J. Truhan, S. Dai, H. Luo, and 

P.J. Blau, Tribology Letters, 22, 207, 2006.

The Sustainable Transportation Program published 244 publications in fiscal year 2016, including 179 

journal articles, nine books and book chapters, 35 proceedings of conferences, and 21 technical reports. 

Publication highlights

34 – 2016 STP Annual Report 2016 STP Annual Report – 35

An official publication of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

jom.tms.org

JULY 2016

FRANK CROSSLEY: A Man of Mettle

Manufacturing

JO

Fuel Economy 

Guide

www.fueleconomy.gov U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Model Year 2016

DOE/EE-1249

2016 BILLION-TON REPORT

Advancing Domestic Resources

for a Thriving Bioeconomy

Volume I | July 2016

PUBLICATIONS
Sustainable Transportation Program

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

PO Box 2008, MS 6472

Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6472

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