There has been considerable discussion about the extent to which motor-vehicle use in the US is "subsidized," making petroleum-based motor vehicle use more attractive than other transportation modes. Estimates of these subsidies vary widely, and in many cases can be criticized on methodological...

Analyses of the full social cost of motor vehicle use in the US often estimate an "oil import premium" that includes the military cost of defending oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. Estimates of this cost have ranged from essentially zero to upwards of a $1 per gallon (about $0.25 per liter)....

Hydrogen is an especially attractive transportation fuel. It is the least populating fuel available, and can be produced anywhere there is water and a clean source of electricity. A fuel cycle in which hydrogen is produced by solar-electrolysis of water, or by gasification of renewably grown...

Concern about global warming, poor urban air quality and dependence on insecure sources of oil are leading many nations to examine alternative energy sources and technologies for transportation and electricity generation. This analysis shows that most of the near-term fossil fuel-based...

Population growth, continuing suburbanization, and higher labor-force-participation rates, combined with a virtual halt in new freeway construction, have led to rapid increases in traffic congestion in the U.S. This congestion is costly, for example, the cost of highway congestion in the Lose...

Electric vehicles (EV) are periodically promoted as quiet, pollution-free alternatives  gasoline vehicles. They have failed each time because of inferior performance and high costs. In this paper, we conduct an updated and detailed evaluation of the performance, costs, environmental impacts,...

Cities often opt for rail transit even when agency evaluations conclude that other alternatives are superior in performance and efficiency. The choice of light rail transit (LRT) in Sacramento, California serves as a case study. When adjustments are made for overstated assumptions and irregular...

Hydrogen is an especially attractive transportation fuel. It is the least polluting fuel available, and can be produced anywhere there is water and a clean source of electricity. A fuel cycle in which hydrogen is produced by solar-electrolysis of water, or by gasification of renewably grown...

The search for petroleum alternatives is not new. Ever since the turn of the century, when petroleum became the dominant transportation fuel, authoritative sources have warned occasionally of impending oil shortages (1, 2). When oil prices rose or oil depletion seemed imminent, interest and...

Alternative vehicular fuels are proposed as a strategy to reduce urban air pollution. In this paper, we analyze the emission Impacts of electric vehicles in California for two target years, 1995 and 2010. We consider a range of assumptions regarding electricity consumption of electric vehicles,...