A large number of heavy-duty trucks idle a significant amount. Heavy-duty line-haul truck engines idle about 20-40% of the time the engine is running, depending on season and operation. Drivers idle engines to power climate control devices (e.g., heaters and air conditioners) and sleeper...

Government-industry R&D partnerships can play an important role in advancing the public interest. A widely cited example is the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). It was launched in 1993 by the Clinton Administration and three US automakers, with the goal of advancing the...

Vehicle fleets are a poorly understood part of the economy. They are important, though, in that they purchase a large share of light-duty vehicles and are often targeted by governments as agents of change. We investigate fleet purchase behavior, using focus groups, interviews, and mail and...

The Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis (ITS-Davis) is a multi-faceted, internationally recognized program with more than 60 affiliated faculty and researchers, 100 graduate students, and a $6 million annual budget. Its primary program components are research, education and outreach....

Transportation presents a substantial and growing worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission challenge. GHG mitigation strategies can be grouped into three categories: vehicle efficiency, low carbon fuels, and travel reduction. Potential GHG reductions are very large, with varying levels of cost...

This paper uses a lifecycle approach to analyze potential air quality impacts of hydrogen and gasoline use in light duty vehicles. The analysis is conducted for scenarios in 2005 and 2025 in Sacramento, California for CO, NOx, VOC, and PM10. Three natural gas-based hydrogen supply pathways are...

Reliability has always been a concern in the energy sector, but concerns are escalating as energy demand increases and the political stability of many energy supply regions becomes more questionable. But how does one define and measure reliability? We introduce a method to assess reliability in...

On July 22, 2002, Governor Gray Davis signed AB 1493 into law. This law requires that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) propose rules that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions of light duty vehicles in California. The goal of this study was to provide insight into industry and consumer...