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Surveys show that Americans are con-

cerned about the environment, globalwarming, and related issues. Yet manydon’t realize that the cars and trucks theydrive are a major source of these prob-lems, and that there are alternativechoices they can make today.

Most of us drive or ride in vehicles thatare powered by petroleum-based fossilfuels — gasoline or diesel. Some people,however, are choosing to drive vehiclesthat run on smaller amounts of fuel,and/or partially or completely on fuels

other than diesel or gasoline. Theseadvanced and alternative fuel vehicles(AFVs) help reduce our dependence onforeign oil imports, save us money on fuelcosts, and improve our air quality.

Why Drive an Advanced orAlternative Fuel Vehicle?Transportation accounts for more than

67 percent of the oil we consume in the

United States—more than we produce.Today, our country imports more than54 percent of its oil supply, and it'sestimated that this could increase to75 percent by 2010.

According to the U.S. Federal HighwayAdministration, the average vehicle (caror light truck) on the road today emitsmore than 600 pounds of air pollutioneach year. These pollutants (such as car- bon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogendioxide, and particulate matter) contribute

to smog and to many health problems. Forexample, smog can cause eye and respira-tory tract irritation, and carbon monoxidecan inhibit the ability of a person's bloodto carry oxygen to vital organs.

The average vehicle, through its combus-tion of fossil fuels, also emits greenhousegases. Greenhouse gases—such as carbon

Advanced Technologyand Alternative Fuel Vehicles

This document was produced for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a DOE national laboratory. Thedocument was produced by the Information and Outreach Program at NREL for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Energy Efficiencyand Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC) is operated by NCI Information Systems, Inc., for NREL / DOE. The statements contained herein are based oninformation known to EREC and NREL at the time of printing. No recommendation or endorsement of any product or service is implied if mentioned by EREC.

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste

DOE/GO-102001-1142FS143

August 2001

Advanced and alternative fuel vehicles help reduce emissions that cause air pollution, smog,and global warming.

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dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocar- bons, and chlorofluorocarbons—surroundthe Earth's atmosphere like a clear thermal blanket, allowing the sun's warming raysin and trapping the heat close to theEarth's surface. This natural greenhouseeffect keeps the average surface tempera-ture at around 60˚F (33˚C).

However, the increased use of fossil fuelsduring the last century has created anenhanced greenhouse effect, known as

global warming. And transportation hasplayed a large role in this increase.

During the 1990s, the annual growth rateof U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fromtransportation averaged 1.6 percent. In1999, some 82 percent of U.S. greenhousegas emissions consisted of carbon dioxidereleased by the combustion of energyfuels. The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) estimates that each year theaverage light vehicle in the United Statesreleases 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxideinto the air. Motor gasoline contributedclose to 300 million metric tons of carbondioxide, making it the largest singlesource of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.

By reducing vehicle emissions, AFVsand advanced vehicle technologies helpcombat both air pollution and globalclimate change.

Today’s Alternative Fuel ChoicesAlternative fuels not only burn cleaner—producing lower emissions—but someare even renewable, unlike fossil fuels,which means we could develop a continu-ous supply of them. The alternative fuelsin use today include ethanol, biodiesel,methanol, natural gas, propane, electricity,

and hydrogen.

Biofuels 

Biofuels are renewable since they areproduced from biomass—organic matter,such as plants. They generate aboutthe same amount of carbon dioxide(a greenhouse gas) from the tailpipe asfossil fuels, but the plants that are grownto produce the biofuels actually removecarbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Therefore, the net emission of carbon

dioxide will be close to zero.

Ethanol

The most widely used alternative trans-portation fuel is ethanol. Ethanol is analcohol typically made from corn or corn byproducts, using a process similar to brewing beer. Vehicles that run on ethanolhave lower carbon monoxide and carbondioxide emissions than traditional vehi-cles.

In the United States, we blend more than1.5 billion gallons of ethanol with gasolineeach year to produce E10 (10 percentethanol and 90 percent gasoline.) E10 can be used in most of the vehicles we’redriving on the roads today. As a result,we’re already using E10 across the countryto improve vehicle performance andreduce air pollution.

Today we also have some vehicles thatcan use a higher blend of ethanol – up to85 percent – called E85. These vehicles,known as flexible-fuel vehicles, can useE85, gasoline, or any mixture of the two.E85 is available in many parts of the coun-try but primarily in the Midwest.

2

Alternative fuels

not only burn cleaner,

but some are even

renewable.

This snowplow in Minnesota runs on ethanol.   W  a  r  r  e  n   G  r  e   t  z ,

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There are about

100,000 natural gas

vehicles in the

United States.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an ester (similar to vinegar)that can be made from several types of oils, such as vegetable oils and animal fats.Each year about 30 million gallons of  biodiesel are produced in the UnitedStates from recycled cooking oils and

soybean oil.Biodiesel is currently not available to thegeneral public. Some federal, state, andtransit fleets, as well as tourist boats andlaunches, use biodiesel either alone or blended with another fuel.

Biodiesel is typically used as a blend—20 percent biodiesel and 80 percentpetroleum diesel—called B20. B20 can beused in a conventional diesel engine withessentially no engine modifications.

There is also a growing interest in using biodiesel where workers are exposed todiesel exhaust, in aircraft to control localpollution near airports, and inlocomotives that face restricted use unlessemissions can be reduced.

Met hanol 

Methanol, another alcohol-based fuel, isusually produced from natural gas, butit can also be produced from biomass.Therefore, it has the potential to helpreduce petroleum imports.

Methanol-powered vehicles emit smalleramounts of air pollutants, such as hydro-carbons, particulate matter, and nitrogenoxides, than do similar gasoline-fueled

vehicles. Some buses and fleet vehiclescurrently run on M85, which contains 85percent methanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Natural Gas 

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons,mainly methane. It can be produced eitherfrom gas wells or in conjunction withcrude oil production.

Natural gas is a clean burning, domesticallyproduced fuel that generates significantlyless carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide,particulate matter, and nitrous oxidecompared to similar fossil fuel vehicles.It is used in vehicles as compressednatural gas (CNG) or liquefied naturalgas (LNG).

There are about 100,000 natural gasvehicles in the United States. Nearly oneof every five new transit buses in theUnited States runs on natural gas.

Propane 

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), com-monly called propane, is a mixture of atleast 90 percent propane, 2.5 percent butane and higher hydrocarbons, andethane and propylene make up theremaining balance. It is a byproduct of natural gas processing and/or petroleumrefining.

Soybean oil can be used to make biodiesel, which powers this bus.

There are approximately 600 public, CNGrefueling stations across the country.

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A propane-powered vehicle can't run asfar on a tank of gas as a comparable gaso-line-powered vehicle, but propane gener-ates lower vehicle emissions. Propaneemits 64 percent less reactive organiccompounds, 20 percent less nitrogenoxide, and 20 percent less carbon monox-

ide than a similar gasoline vehicle.

Propane is a publicly accessible alternativefuel. There are fueling stations in all states.Today there are more than 270,000 on- andoff-road, propane-powered vehicles in theUnited States.

Electricity 

Electricity is considered a fuel whenused in vehicles. Electric vehicles usevarious types of batteries and otherenergy storage mechanisms to store theelectricity used to run a vehicle. While theelectricity production process for vehiclesmay contribute somewhat to air pollution,an electric vehicle (EV) itself does not,resulting in much lower emissions permile traveled.

In 2000, close to 7,600 on-road EVs in theUnited States consumed electricity at anamount equivalent to about 1.7 milliongallons of gasoline.

Hydrogen 

Hydrogen is a simple, abundant elementfound in organic matter, notably in the

hydrocarbons that make up many of ourfuels, such as gasoline, natural gas,methanol, and propane. As an energy car-rier like electricity (not an energy source),it must be manufactured. Hydrogen can be made by using heat to separate it fromthe hydrocarbons. Currently, most hydro-gen is made this way from natural gas.

Hydrogen can be combined with gasoline,ethanol, methanol, or natural gas toreduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Becausethe only byproduct of hydrogen is water,only the engine lubricants from a hydro-gen-fueled vehicle emit small amounts of air pollutants.

Hydrogen is already the fuel of choice forpropelling space shuttles. It is also beingexplored for use in internal combustionengines. Although hydrogen can be burned in an internal combustion engine,or serve as a fuel additive, there's moreinterest in using hydrogen to supply fuelcells that power EVs (see “Fuel Cell Vehi-cle” on page 6).

P-Series 

P-Series is a relatively new alternativefuel. It is a blend of ethanol, methylte-trahydrofuran (MTHF), and pentanes,with butane added for blends used insevere cold weather.

Because both the ethanol and the MTHFcan be produced from renewable biomassresources, emissions from producing andusing P-Series are substantially less thanthose from gasoline.

P-Series was initially designed as a fuel tohelp fleets meet the U.S. Energy PolicyAct 's requirement to purchase moreAFVs. Therefore, P-Series will initially besold to fleets. Eventually it will be avail-able to the general public too.

4

Propane is a

 publicly accessible

alternative fuel.

The sun’s energy, via a photovoltaic module, is used to recharge this electricvehicle.

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Alternative Fuel VehiclesMost major automakers produce andsell AFVs—cars, light- and heavy-dutytrucks, shuttle buses, transit buses, off-road vehicles, and even boats. ManyAFVs are sold as fleet vehicles, but some

are now available to the public. In fact,you may already be driving around inan alternative fuel-capable vehicle andnot even know it. Look in your owner’smanual or on the inside of the fuel com-partment door for information on whatfuels are appropriate for your vehicle.

There are three basic types of AFVs:flex-fuel, bifuel or dual-fuel, anddedicated vehicles.

Flex-Fuel Vehi cles 

A flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) has one tankand can accept any mixture of gasolineand either methanol or ethanol. P-Seriesfuel is designed to run in FFVs also.

It’s estimated that 1 to 2 million FFVs arealready on American roads.

Bi fuel or Dual -Fuel Vehi cles 

Bifuel vehicles have two tanks—one for gasoline and one foreither natural gas or propane,depending on the vehicle. Thevehicles can switch between thetwo fuels.

Dedi cated vehicles

Dedicated vehicles are designedto be fueled only by an alterna-tive fuel.

EVs are a special type of dedi-cated vehicle. EVs—like smallcars and bicycles—are perfectfor driving short distances andwhere low top speeds aren't anissue, such as in small neighbor-hoods. Some EVs today thoughcan break most highway speeds.

Some large shuttle buses are alsoEVs.

High-EfficiencyAdvanced Vehicles

No matter what the fuel, the higher thefuel economy of a car or truck, the less itpollutes. (The “Fuel Economy Guide” Website listed on page 8 can help consumerschoose the most fuel efficient vehicle mod-els.)

Fuel economy becomes even more impor-tant when you consider the growingpopularity of sport utility vehicles (SUVs).According to Automotive News , GeneralMotors expects SUVs to outsell everyother car and truck by 2005. If we coulddouble the fuel economy of SUVs, wecould save more than 5000 gallons of fuelper vehicle over its lifetime.

Some new cars on the market now offerreally impressive improvements in fueleconomy. Other advanced technologiesare under development and will soon beavailable in new vehicles.

5

You may already

be driving around

in an alternative

 fuel-capable vehicle

and not even know it.

This engine runs on gasoline and electricity.

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Hybri d Electri c Vehicles 

In 2000, two automakers — Honda andToyota — began selling hybrid electricvehicles (HEV). Additional models fromother automakers are expected to follow.

HEVs, which combine the internal com- bustion engine of a conventional vehiclewith an electric motor, can achieve abouttwice the fuel economy of conventionalvehicles. An energy storage system stores

the power to run the electric motor. Batter-ies are by far the most common energystorage choice. But researchers are stillexploring other energy storage options.

HEVs reduce smog-formingpollutants by running more efficiently.But because of their internal combustionengines, they are not zero-emission vehi-cles. However, the first HEVs on themarket emit a third to one half the amountof greenhouse gases emitted by standardgasoline vehicles. Later models may cut

emissions even more.Adv anced D ri ve Trai ns 

The drive train is the system within thevehicle that transmits power from theengine and directs it toward the wheels,and varies the amount of force (torque)that rotates the wheels.

Compression-Ignition Direct-Injection(CIDI) Engines

CIDI engines are the most efficient inter-nal combustion engines available today.Vehicles with CIDI engines have theability to directly inject fuel into thecombustion chamber of an engine toignite the fuel by compressing it.

Turbocharged Direct-Injection (TDI)Diesel Engines

This is the turbocharged version of theCIDI engine, which is popular in Europeand now available in automobiles sold inthe United States. The TDI engine’s fueleconomy is 20 percent greater than con-ventional diesel engines.

Spark-Ignition Direct-Injection (SIDI)Engines

Standard gasoline engines use a spark toignite the fuel. Like CIDI engines, SIDIengines inject fuel directly into the com- bustion chamber. However, SIDI engineshave the advantage of burning gasolineand different types of alternative fuels.

Fuel Cel l Vehi cl e

The fuel cell is one of the hottest advancedvehicle technologies. Many researchersexpect this technology to be used in vehi-cles by 2010.

6

Researchers are

working on making

 fuel cell components

competitve with

internal combustion

engines.

This HEV, made by Toyota and available today, averages about 50 miles-per-gallon.

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7

Resources

The following are sources of additional informationon alternative fuels, AFVs, and advanced technologyvehicles. The list is not exhaustive, nor does themention of any resource constitute a recommendationor endorsement.

Ask an Energy ExpertDOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Clearinghouse (EREC)P.O. Box 3048Merrifield, VA 22116Phone: 1-800-DOE-EREC (1-800-363-3732)Fax: (703) 893-0400E-mail: doe.erec@nciinc.comOnline submittal form:www.eren.doe.gov/menus/energyex.htmlConsumer Energy Information Web site:www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/

Energy experts at EREC provide free general and technicalinformation to the public on many topics and technologiespertaining to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Net-work (EREN)Web site: www.eren.doe.gov/

Your comprehensive online resource for DOE's energyefficiency and renewable energy information.

Organizations 

DOE Alternative Fuels Data CenterNational Alternative Fuels Hotline: 1-800-423-1363Web site: www.afdc.doe.gov

Provides detailed information and contacts onalternative fuels.

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)P.O. Box 85102Sioux Falls, SD 57104Phone: (605) 334-3381Fax: (605) 344-3389Web site: www.ethanol.org/main.html

Promotes the increased production and use of ethanol

DOE Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT)Web site: www.ott.doe.gov/

Partners with the domestic transportation industry todevelop advanced transportation technologies and fuelsfor the general public.

Electrical Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA)701 Pennsylvania Ave., NWThird Floor – East BuildingWashington, DC 20004Phone: (202) 508-5995

Fax: (202) 508-5924Web site: www.evaa.org/

Works to advance EV transportation technologies andsupporting infrastructure through policy, information, andmarket development initiatives.

(Continued on page 8)

Fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen intoelectricity, have been researched for use in vehicles formany years, and their development and performancehave progressed. Because they produce only water vaporas emissions, fuel cells are ideal power sources for trans-portation. They can be used as the main power for anelectric vehicle, or in conjunction with an internalcombustion engine in a hybrid vehicle.

Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of a fuel into usableelectricity and heat without combustion as an intermediatestep. Fuel cells are similar to batteries in that they producea direct current by means of an electrochemical process.Unlike batteries, however, they store their reactants(hydrogen and oxygen) externally and operate continu-ously as long as they are supplied with these reactants.

Today, researchers are working on making fuel cellcomponents—considering their size, weight, and cost—competitive with internal combustion engines. Althoughresearchers still have several obstacles to overcome,

fuel-cell technology has the potential to provide us withanother energy-efficient, cost-competitive transportationoption that will help lower emissions and reduce depen-dance on petroleum.

Steering Toward the Future

Automakers and researchers will continue to developand improve on the transportation technologies we've

discussed. They're exploring better ways to usefuel cells, alternative fuels, and EV and HEV systems.They are also working on new ways to store energy,and creating lightweight advanced materials to makevehicles that run cleaner and use less fuel.

In addition to the technologies available now, researchersacross the United States are developing new advancedtechnologies—for use in cars, minivans, pickup trucks,sport utility vehicles, buses, and heavy-duty trucks—thatwill steer us toward an even cleaner future with moreavailable, domestic fuel resources.

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(Continued from page 7)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Web site: www.epa.gov/Global Warming Web site: www.epa.gov/globalwarming/

Provides more information on air pollution, vehicle emissions,greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming.

Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV)Web site: www.ta.doc.gov/pngv/cover/pngvcover.htm

A partnership between the U.S. federal government andU.S. automakers that aims to strengthen the country's competi-tiveness by developing technologies for a new generation of vehicles.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA)One Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 820Washington, D.C. 20001

Phone: (202) 289-3835Fax: (202) 289-7519E-mail: info@ethanolrfa.orgWeb site: www.ethanolrfa.org

Striving to expand the production and consumeruse of ethanol fuels.

United States Council for Automotive Research(USCAR)Web site: www.uscar.org/

A group of U.S. automakers that strives to furtherstrengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry.

Research Laborat ori es 

Center for Transportation AnalysisOak Ridge National LaboratoryWeb site: www-cta.ornl.gov/

Center for Transportation Technologies and SystemsNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryWeb site: www.ctts.nrel.gov/overview.html

Hybrid Electric Vehicle LaboratoryIdaho National Engineering andEnvironmental LaboratoryWeb site: http://ev.inel.gov/dynamometer.html

National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions LaboratoryEPA2000 Traverwood DriveAnn Arbor, MI 48105Phone: (734) 214-4200

Transportation Technology R&D CenterArgonne National LaboratoriesWeb site: www.transportation.anl.gov/

Web Si t es 

AFV Fleet Buyer’s GuideOTTWeb site: www.fleets.doe.gov/

Provides information on the AFVs available for fleetsand how to acquire them.

Clean Cities ProgramOTTWeb site: www.ccities.doe.gov

Encourages the use of AFVs and their supportinginfrastructure throughout the nation.

DOE’s Hydrogen Information NetworkWeb site: www.eren.doe.gov/hydrogen/

Provides a variety of information on hydrogen,including fuel cells.

EPAct Fleet Information & Regulations

OTTWeb site: www.ott.doe.gov/epact

Discusses the AFV acquisition requirements for fleetsunder the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) regulations.

EVWorld.ComWeb site: www.evworld.com/

Features information and news on the EV community,education, investments, and industry.

Fuel Economy GuideDOE and EPAWeb site: www.fueleconomy.gov/

Helps consumers find and compare the fueleconomies of many vehicle makes and models.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle ProgramOTTWeb site: www.ott.doe.gov/hev

Features information on HEVs, their components, where to buy them, and on current HEV research and development.