U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF MOBILE SOURCES
EPA400-F-32-011
Alternative Fuel Demonstrations
Demonstration Programs Introduce New Fuels
Gasoline and diesel fuel have long been the primary transportation fuels in the
United States. However, fleet owners across the country are beginning to experi-
ment with other fuels to solve problems ranging from air pollution to tight bud-
gets. As a result of these pilot demonstrations, many vehicles on the road today
are powered by nonpetroleum fuel alternatives.
A small portion of the 190 million cars, trucks, and buses in the United States
run on alternative fuels all or most of the time. This includes about 300,000
vehicles equipped to run on propane (LPG); 30,000 on compressed natural gas
(CNG); about 1,000 on methanol; a few hundred each on ethanol, electricity, and
liquefied natural gas (LNG); and a handful on hydrogen. These vehicles are
operated by fleet owners, private industry, federal, state, and local governments,
transit agencies, and private citizens.
Why Are Alternative Fuel Demonstrations Needed?
Well-designed demonstrations open the door to domestically-produced fuels and
to cleaner, healthier air. While today's gasoline cars are much cleaner than cars
were years ago, the doubling of vehicle travel since 1970 has offset enough of the
progress to result in continued high pollution levels in most U.S. cities. Alterna-
tive fuel vehicles have the potential to produce less air pollution and greenhouse
gases than gasoline and diesel vehicles. Demonstration fleets are a good way to
FACT SHEET OMS-9
January, 1993
-------
Alternative Fuel Demonstrations
introduce these vehicles. Demonstrations also encourage research on alternative
energy made from renewable resources like corn, wood, biomass, and garbage.
Finally, these projects can help reduce our heavy dependence on imported oil by
promoting alternative fuels that diversify the fuel market and are produced
domestically.
Can Demonstrations Lead to Better Alternative Fuel Vehicles?
Yes. Demonstration projects play an integral role in improving vehicle technology
by setting up small-scale tests of newly designed vehicles and alternative fuels.
This is an essential step in evaluating new technology prior to widespread com-
mercialization.
Most alternative fuel vehicles on the road today were designed for gasoline and
were later converted to run on alternative fuels as well. The conversions are
typically performed for economic rather than environmental benefits — CNG
and LPG in particular are often cheaper than gasoline. While these demonstra-
tions help lessen the demand for imported petroleum, converted vehicles rarely
demonstrate the cutting-edge technology necessary to reduce air pollution.
From an air quality perspective, the most important demonstrations today (see
table on page 3) use cars, trucks, and buses designed specifically for alternative
fuels. This allows vehicles to exploit the chemical and physical characteristics of
the fuel they are designed for, achieving maximum performance and efficiency
and minimum emissions. Demonstrations advance cutting-edge vehicle technol-
ogy by providing on-the-road data from experimental vehicles.
For More Information:
The Office of Mobile Sources is the national center for research and policy on air
pollution from highway and off-highway motor vehicles and equipment. You
can write to us at the EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory,
2565 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor; MI 48105. Our phone number is (313) 668-4333.
2 of 3
-------
Alternative Fuel Demonstrations
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Demonstrations in the U.S.
LOCATION
California
California
California
California,
Texas
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
New York
City
New York
City
Houston
Various
Various
Wisconsin,
Illinois
Minnesota
SPONSORS
California Energy Commission
Utility Companies
CALTRANS
Utility Companies
Southern California Rapid
Transit District
L.A. Times
Federal Express; South Coast
Air Quality Management
District; DOE; EPA; Others
Southern California Gas Co.;
United Parcel Service
Triboro Coach Ass'n;
Command Bus Company;
EPA; DOT/Federal
Transit Administration
Brooklyn Union Gas; NYC;
Consolidated Edison Co.
Houston Metro
DOE; General Services
Administration (GSA)
American Gas Association;
Gas Research Institute;
Utility Companies
State of Illinois;
State of Wisconsin; DOE
City of Duluth
FUELS
M85
Electricity
Hydrogen
CNG
Methanol
CNG
LPG
CNG; Methanol;
Electricity; LPG;
Reformulated
Gasoline
CNG
Methanol
CNG
CNG
LNG/Diesel
M85
CNG
CNG
E85
LPG
VEHICLES
In Operation Planned
500 sedans 200 vans (FFV)
400 sedans (FFV) 5000 sedans (FFV)
90 (mostly vans)
1
1000 light trucks
40 buses 200 buses
11 buses
300 delivery
trucks (retrofits)
-100 delivery
vans
(some FFV)
20 package cars up to 2700
(retrofits) package
cars (retrofits)
6 buses 12 buses
2 buses 12 buses
350 cars, trucks,
vans (retrofits)
300 buses
65 sedans (FFV) -700 sedans (FFV)
-800 light trucks
100-200 trucks
50 sedans (FFV)
300 snowplows,
trucks (retrofits)
There are several hundred thousand alternative fuel vehicles operating in the U S. This chart focuses on
the most significant demonstrations, particularly those that introduce new technology, emphasize clean air,
or include an especially large number of vehicles. All vehicles are "dedicated" to run exclusively on a specific
alternate fuel, unless otherwise indicated. Retrofits are vehicles built to run on gasoline which are later
converted to use a gaseous fuel (CNG or LPG). Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) can operate on either gasoline
or alcohol (ethanol, methanol) or any combination of the two. M85 and E85 are blends of 85% alcohol and 15
gasoline.
3 of 3
------- |