Fuels, alternative fuel programs

Dedicated Vehicles. Only Brazil and California have continued implementing alcohols in the transportation sector. The BraziUan program, the largest alternative fuel program in the world, used about 7.5% of oil equivalent of ethanol in 1987 (equivalent to 150,000 bbl of cmde oil per day). In 1987 about 4 million vehicles operated on 100% ethanol and 94% of all new vehicles purchased that year were ethanol-fueled. About 25% of Brazil s light-duty vehicle fleet (10) operate on alcohol. The leading BraziUan OEMs are Autolatina (a joint venture of Volkswagen and Ford), GM, and Fiat. Vehicles are manufactured and marketed in Brazil. 

Alternative fuel programs is the theme of Chapter three. Subjects include hydrogen, methanol, syn gas, biofuels, fueling methods, safety and storage. The chapter ends with a discussion of cost issues. 

Similarities Between the Hydrogen Transition and Other Alternative Fuel Programs... 

The United States has conducted a broad and expanding alternative fuel program since 1988. What has been the result Our review of the current... 

An energy policy must contemplate and accommodate market realities. An AFV must provide all the customer-desired attributes of conventionally fueled vehicles at a competitive cost, and with minimal inconveniences, such as prolonged refueling time, widespread availability of fuel, and other factors. Financial incentives from governments can be helpful in the introductory phases of an alternative fuel program, but they must have a finite lifetime, and the technology must compete on an even footing in the marketplace if it is to achieve widespread market penetration. 

In 1991 the California Air Resources Board certified a compressed natural gas (CNG) powered engine as the first alternative fueled engine certified for use in California. The board also sponsored a program to fuel school buses with CNG. While CNG has been used for fleet and delivery vehicles, most tanks hold enough fuel for a little over 100 miles. 

The AMFA had demonstration programs to promote the use of alternative fuels and alternative-fuel vehicles. The act also offered credits to automakers for producing alternative-fuel vehicles and incentives to encourage federal agencies to use these vehicles. 

If the buildup of C02 and other trace gases is not considered as part of global development, it is unlikely that greater buildup will be prevented, except by great advances in alternative fuel systems and programs to increase energy efficiency. 

The DOE now has a fuel cell automotive program and the government has a somewhat abstruse alternative fuels approach. DOE s role is to support the research that validates the technology. It is up to the automakers to use it in vehicles and put it in the dealer s showrooms. 

Dr Joan Ogden is Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis, and Director of the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways Program at the campus s Institute of Transportation Studies. Her primary research interest is the technical and economic assessment of new energy technologies, especially in the areas of alternative fuels, fuel cells, renewable energy and low carbon energy systems. She received a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland. 

The Alternative Motor Fuels program has its main focus on fuels made by gasification of biomass, but it also includes projects on hydrogen. 

Just as the Clean Water Act has improved water quality in the United States, the Clean Air Act has greatly improved air quality since it was passed in 1967 and amended several times after. States and municipalities must meet the NAAQS or face the loss of federal dollars for road projects. Programs such as vehicle emission inspections, reduction in speed limits, emission permitting, alternative fuels, and use of best available technology have served to clean the nation s air. 

Basic to the entire exercise is the issue of how much alternative fuel development can be reasonably expected over the next twenty years. Given the previous synfuel program parameters, sulfur output then depends on both the characteristics of the original fuel source and the specific method of processing. These also serve to determine the location of the sulfur output. 

U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuel Transportation Program... 

Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) A program sponsored by the Department of Energy to collect emissions, operational and maintenance data on all types of alternative fuel vehicles across the country. 

EE-2G, 1000 Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20585-0121 US Toll Free 877-337-3463 E-mail Address dennis.a.smith ee.doe.gov Web Address www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities The Clean Cities Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a federal program to promote the use of alternative fuels in U.S. cities. 

Prior to the emergence of the new policy in the two month period, December 1978-January 1979, the Carter energy program and the 1978 Coal Conversion Act (passed in November 1978) has treated gas, along with oil, as a scarce fuel, and called for replacing it with coal or other alternate fuels as much as possible."... 

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