The history of alternative transportation fuels is largely a history of failures. Niche fuels such as liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) have persisted here and there over the years, but never captured significant market penetration for a sustained period. The two...

This paper concerns the economic and environmental challenges confronting California and the potential role for clean energy systems and hydrogen as an energy carrier in helping to address these challenges. Hydrogen in particular has recently gained great attention as part of a set of solutions...

Proceedings of the 4th Annual Asia Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment This paper describes the on-going Hydrogen Infrastructure Transition (HIT) modeling efforts with the Beijing case study. HIT uses dynamic programming to generate optimal decisions on when, where, at what...

Heavy-duty truck engine idling results in significant costs, fuel consumption, emissions, noise, and engine maintenance. Two promising alternatives to idling, grid connection ("shore power") and onboard auxiliary power units (APUs), are being pursued by industry and government. Their...

Over 3 million Chinese Rural Vehicles (CRVs) were produced in China in 2002, three times that of conventional passenger cars. Yet these smaller, simpler, indigenous vehicles are virtually unknown outside China. The CRV industry is unusual in that it evolved largely outside the control of...

This article borrows from Chapters 1 and 15 in Driving Climate Change: Cutting Carbon From Transportation, which were co-authored with James S. Cannon and David Burwell. The Asilomar Declaration was endorsed by the TRB committees on Transportation Energy, Alternative Fuels, and Transportation...

Testimony Informational Hearing, Select Committee on Air and Water Quality, February 25, 2004

To reduce transportation emissions and energy consumption, policy makers typically employ one of two approaches—changing technology or changing behavior. These strategies include demand management tools, such as ridesharing and vehicle control technologies that involve cleaner fuels and...

Local governments can have a large effect on carbon emissions through land use zoning, building codes, transport infrastructure investments, and support for transportation alternatives. Recognizing this, many cities have developed climate action plans, containing a disparate mix of mostly...

Most cars carry one person and are used for less than 1 hour per day. A more economically rational approach would be to use vehicles more intensively. Carsharing, in which a group of people pays a subscription plus a per-use fee, is one means of doing so. Carsharing may be organized through...