Friday, August 23, 2013

Growing CNG Infrastructure In North America

40% of the world's new CNG fueling stations will open in North America over the next two years, making it the area with the greatest growth. By 2020 it is forecasted that there will be 30,000 CNG stations worldwide.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Success Stories and Case Studies

Clean Cities Question Of The Month: Where can I find case studies and other information about fleets that have successfully adopted alternative fuels and advanced vehicles?

Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Resources

The AFDC Case Studies search is a great resource for examples of what real fleets are doing related to alternative fuels. This page allows the user to search by category or keyword. Categories include fuels and technologies, such as biodiesel and idle reduction, as well as applications such as law enforcement and public transit. The Case Study search functionality was recently updated to provide a better search experience, so be sure to check it out.

Another useful tool is the AFDC Publications database. The publications database includes more detailed reports and case studies written by the national laboratories and other organizations regarding the implementation of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles in fleets. This page is also searchable by category or keyword.

Clean Cities Resources
The Clean Cities YouTube Channel is one of the newest Clean Cities tools. The channel features more than 200 case study videos, including MotorWeek Clean Cities Success Story segments and other educational media for fleets. In addition, Clean Cities Now includes a "Fleet Experiences" section in each biannual publication. Each "Fleet Experiences" article contains information about a fleet that has successfully transitioned their fleet to alternative fuels.

Clean Cities coalitions are also great resources for information about the "real world" use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles at the local and regional level. The Clean Cities Coalition Contacts page provides a list of coalitions and their websites. Some coalitions post stakeholder fleet case studies on their websites or feature success stories in their newsletters.

Industry Associations and Publications
Some industry association websites also contain useful case studies that focus on the use of specific fuel and technology types. For example, the National Biodiesel Board "Market Segments" page provides examples of fleets using biodiesel in different applications as well as stories on several "feature fleets." Additionally, fleet publications such as Automotive Fleet and Green Fleet publish articles about fleets that are adopting alternative fuels and advanced vehicles.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Technical Assistance

Clean Cities Top 20 Fact #8

Clean Cities coalitions and their stakeholders implement thousands of projects every year within their local communities—all in the pursuit of cutting U.S. petroleum use. These projects are aided by the robust collection of information and technical resources within the Clean Cities program framework. And one of the most valuable of these resources is the Clean Cities Technical Response Service (TRS).

As far back as 1992, the service began as the National Alternative Fuels and Clean Cities Hotlines before being combined into the current Clean Cities TRS in 2005.

Learn why Margaret Larson (Honolulu Clean Cities co-coordinator) said, "The Technical Response Service is my best friend" in this case study.

But the TRS isn't just available to Clean Cities coordinators. It's also for stakeholders and people like you. The staff keeps abreast of industry trends and current research and publications, and they are experts at identifying the right resources to assist you.

Stakeholders in particular have relied on the TRS to help them:

  • Explore the benefits of various fuels and technologies
  • Quantify the costs of infrastructure and vehicles and calculate returns on investment
  • Identify incentives that will help offset the costs of vehicle acquisitions and infrastructure development
  • Understand standards, laws, regulations, and requirements
  • Locate fueling stations and related information
  • Identify case studies, best practices, and lessons learned.

Consider the TRS your go-to source for information. You can reach the service at technicalresponse@icfi.com or 800-254-6735. Keep this contact information handy or add it to your contacts list.

Have a particularly tough challenge? Clean Cities offers hands-on technical assistance for eligible projects through Tiger Teams. These technical experts help Clean Cities coordinators, stakeholders, equipment manufacturers, and fuel providers overcome obstacles to deploying alternative fuels and advanced vehicles.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Small changes can make a big impact

Clean Cities Top 20 Facts #7:
Over the last 20 years, Clean Cities coalitions have worked with their stakeholders to reduce petroleum consumption by 5 billion gallons. This has been possible not only by deploying alternative fuels and vehicles, but also through fuel economy improvements, such as using more efficient vehicles (including hybrid electric vehicles) and better driving habits.

"FuelEconomy.gov estimates that you could save about $900 per year on fuel by choosing a vehicle that gets 30 mpg instead of 20 mpg."

"Just reducing driving speed can result in significant fuel and cost savings."

Monday, August 5, 2013

Nearly 63,000 natural gas vehicles in service

Clean Cities Top 20 Facts #6:
Clean Cities coalitions have played an important role in the growing use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Recent coalition reports show that stakeholders displaced more than 215 million gallons of petroleum in 2012 by using some 63,000 natural gas vehicles. Of these vehicles, about 95% were powered by compressed natural gas; the rest were powered by liquefied natural gas.