Alternate Fuel Vehicles

Climate Change and Sustainable Transportation: The Case of California

Elizabeth Deakin
2011

California has adopted innovative legislation to tackle climate change. Energy-efficient buildings, lower-emissions industrial processes, and more fuel-efficient transportation vehicles operating on cleaner fuels are among the many strategies that are being implemented. However, to attain the needed reductions, California must find additional strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, especially from the transportation sector, which is a large fraction of the total emissions problem. This paper discusses the efforts that are underway to further increase transportation efficiency, shift...

California's Futures: Accommodating Growth in An Era of Climate Change and Rising Fuel Prices

Elizabeth Deakin
2008

Sometime between 2025 and 2030, California's population will reach 50 million. During this same period, the state (and indeed the entire world) must find effective ways to substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hopes of slowing and reversing climate change. California has committed to such reductions in SB 32 and Executive Order S-3-05; the state has pledged to reduce GHG to 2000 levels by 2010 (11 percent below business-as-usual), to 1990 levels by 2020 (25 percent below business-as-usual), and to eighty percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Accomplishing these reductions...

Vehicle Technologies for Achieving Near and Longer Term Fuel Economy and Climate Goals

Tim Lipman
2020
Motor vehicles are a key element of transport systems worldwide, providing vitally important access to goods and services. However, motor vehicles powered by internal combustion engines directly emit harmful pollutants and climate-changing gases. New fuels and new automotive technologies offer the potential to simultaneously make motor vehicles much cleaner and more efficient by reducing tailpipe emissions and allowing the focus to be on the “upstream” emissions from fuels production. This can be accomplished through an increasing array of hybrid electric and pure electric...

Joint Fleet Sizing and Charging System Planning for Autonomous Electric Vehicles

Hongcai Zhang
Colin Sheppard
Tim Lipman
Scott Moura
2020

This paper studies the joint fleet sizing and charging system planning problem for a company operating a fleet of autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs) for passenger and goods transportation. Most of the relevant published papers focus on intracity scenarios and adopt heuristic approaches, e.g., agent based simulation, which do not guarantee optimality. In contrast, we propose a mixed integer linear programming model for intercity scenarios. This model incorporates comprehensive considerations of 1) limited AEV driving range; 2) optimal AEV routing and relocating operations; 3) time-varying...

Charging Infrastructure Demands of Shared-Use Autonomous Electric Vehicles in Urban Areas

Hongcai Zhang
Colin Sheppard
Tim Lipman
Teng Zeng
Scott Moura
2020

Ride-hailing is a clear initial market for autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs) because it features high vehicle utilization levels and strong incentive to cut down labor costs. An extensive and reliable network of recharging infrastructure is the prerequisite to launch a lucrative AEV ride-hailing fleet. Hence, it is necessary to estimate the charging infrastructure demands for an AEV fleet in advance. This study proposes a charging system planning framework for a shared-use AEV fleet providing ride-hailing services in urban area. We first adopt an agent-based simulation model, called BEAM...

Exploring Bidirectional Charging Strategies for an Electric Vehicle Population

Soomin Woo
Leo Strobel
Yuhao Yuan
Marco Pruckner
Tim Lipman
2025

Vehicle-grid integration (VGI) technologies control the energy exchange of electric vehicles (EVs) with power grids for economic and environmental benefits. Despite early investigations, it is still unclear how VGI operations should be designed to balance the goals of mobility needs and electrical grid operational costs. In this paper, our objectives are to examine VGI strategies including bidirectional or vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concepts reflecting realistic operation scenarios, evaluate the performance of the proposed strategies using actual EV charging data and future concepts for hourly...

Plug-In Electric Vehicles in California: Review of Current Policies, Related Emissions Reductions for 2020, and Policy Outlook

Maggie Witt
Matthew Bomberg
Tim Lipman
Brett Williams
2012

California's emissions reduction goals for criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have encouraged policies that support plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). This paper explores current and planned policies that promote PEVs, potential emissions benefits from PEV adoption in California by 2020, and future policy directions. The reviewed policies include the zero-emission vehicle regulations, the low-carbon fuel standard, and the clean car standards, which all require GHG reductions. Policies prompted by the California Public Utilities Commission Alternative-Fueled Vehicle...

Plug-in-Hybrid Vehicle Use, Energy Consumption, and Greenhouse Emissions: An Analysis of Household Vehicle Placements in Northern California

Brett Williams
Elliot Martin
Tim Lipman
Daniel Kammen
2011
We report on the real-world use over the course of one year of a nickel-metal-hydride plug-in hybrid—the Toyota Plug-In HV—by a set of 12 northern California households able to charge at home and work. From vehicle use data, energy and greenhouse-emissions implications are also explored. A total of 1557 trips—most using under 0.5 gallons of gasoline—ranged up to 2.4 hours and 133 miles and averaged 14 minutes and 7 miles. 399 charging events averaged 2.6 hours. The maximum lasted 4.6 hours. Most recharges added less than 1.4 kWh, with a mean charge of 0.92 kWh. The average power drawn was...

Analysis of The Combined Vehicle-and Post‐Vehicle-Use Value of Lithium‐Ion Plug-In-Vehicle Propulsion Batteries

Brett Williams
Tim Lipman
2011

Advances in electric-drive technology, including lithium-ion batteries, as well as the development of strong policy drivers such as California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, now contribute to a more promising market environment for the widespread introduction of plug-in vehicles in California. Nevertheless, battery costs remain high and uncertain, presenting significant hurdles to commercialization. This report builds upon previous research (CEC-500-2009-091) investigating the potential reduction in plug-in-hybrid battery lease payments that incorporation of value from postvehicle...

Strategy for Overcoming Cost Hurdles of Plug-In–Hybrid Battery in California: Integrating Post-Vehicle Secondary Use Values

Brett Williams
Tim Lipman
2010

Advances in electric drive technology, including lithium ion batteries as well as the development of strong policy drivers such as California's Global Warming Solutions Act, now contribute to a more promising market environment for the widespread introduction of plug-in vehicles in California. Nevertheless, battery costs remain high. This study explores a strategy for overcoming the significant hurdle to electric transportation fuel use presented by high battery costs. It describes offsetting plug-in-vehicle battery costs with value derived from post-vehicle stationary use of hybrid...