This review summarizes the background and recent status of the fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) demonstration projects in North America and Europe. Key performance metrics include accumulated miles, availability, fuel economy, fuel cost, roadcalls, and hydrogen fueling. The state-of-the-art technology used in today's fuel cell bus is highlighted. Existing hydrogen infrastructure for refueling is described. The article also presents the challenges encountered in these projects, the experiences learned, as well as current and future performance targets.
NREL prints on paper that contains recycled content.
A fleet of six 2001 International Class 6 trucks operating in southern California was selected for an operability and emissions study using gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel and catalyzed diesel particle filters (CDPF). Three vehicles were fueled with CARB specification diesel fuel and no emission control devices (current technology), and three vehicles were fueled with GTL fuel and retrofit with Johnson Matthey's CCRT™ diesel particulate filter. No engine modifications were made.Bench scale fuel-engine compatibility testing showed the GTL fuel had cold flow properties suitable for year-round use in southern California and was additized to meet current lubricity standards. Bench scale elastomer compatibility testing returned results similar to those of CARB specification diesel fuel. The GTL fuel met or exceeded ASTM D975 fuel properties.Researchers used a chassis dynamometer to test emissions over the City Suburban Heavy Vehicle Route (CSHVR) and New York City Bus (NYCB) cycles. The GTL-fueled vehicles were tested with and without the CDPFs to isolate fuel and aftertreatment effects.All emission changes are compared to the CARB specification diesel baseline. Over the CSHVR cycle, GTL fuel (no filter) reduced all regulated emissions, with oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) reductions of 8% and particulate matter (PM) reductions of 33%. Over the NYCB cycle, GTL fuel (no filter) reduced NO x and PM by 16% and 23%, respectively. Combining GTL and CDPF further reduced all regulated emissions, with NO x and PM reductions of 14% and 99%, respectively, on the CSHVR cycle. Vehicles tested over the NYCB cycle on GTL fuel and CDPF produced NO x and PM reductions of 20% and 97%, respectively.
This evaluation is funded through the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, which is managed by Lee Slezak, within the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program in the U.S. Department of Energy. All publications on the NYCT hybrid bus evaluation will be posted on DOE's Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Website. See the Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicles section of the following link: www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/index.shtml This evaluation at New York City Transit (NYCT) would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of many people.
The first round of emissions testing of light-duty alternative fuel vehicles placed in the U. S. federal fleet under the provisions of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act was recently completed. This undertaking included 75 Dodge B250 vans, of which 37 were dedicated compressed natural gas models, and 38 were standard gasoline controls. Data were collected on regulated exhaust emissions using the federal test procedures, and on a number of other quantities, through a statistically controlled program of investigation. Fuel economy results were also recorded. All test vehicles were operated in routine federal service activities under normal working conditions, adhering as closely as possible to Chrysler's prescribed maintenance schedules. The data analysis conducted thus far indicates that the compressed natural gas vehicles exhibit notably lower regulated exhaust emissions, on average, than their gasoline counterparts, and that these values are well within U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. In addition, lower levels of toxic constituents are emitted by the compressed natural gas vehicles relative to their gasoline counterparts, and they produce lower levels of ozone precursors as well-both characteristics that are highly desirable in contemporary transportation fuels. The compressed natural gas vehicles obtain slightly lower fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts on an energy equivalent basis. To promote the use of alternative fuels and development of an alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry, the Alternative Motor Fuels Act (AMFA) of 1988 requires the U.S. federal fleet to include as many AFVs as practicable. The Energy Policy Act (EPACT) of 1992 tightened the requirements for the federal fleet, requiring new vehicle purchases to be comprised of an increasing percentage of AFVs, up to a maximum of 75%, by 1999. The U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for tracking and reporting the performance of these vehicles on an annual basis to facilitate ongoing evaluation of AFV technology, and for assessing the viability of AFVs in commercial and private applications. Performance measures include driver acceptance, fuel economy, operational cost, cost and level of maintenance, and emissions output. The most extensive effort of its kind, the AMFA evaluation program targets three alternative fuels-methanol, ethanol, and compressed natural gas (CNG)-and encompasses several different types of vehicles, makes, and models operated in a number of federal service applications at various sites around the country. Light-duty passenger cars, vans, and trucks are included, along with school buses, transit buses, and heavy-duty trucks. The earliest AMFA vehicles have been in service since 1991. One of the objectives of the AMFA light-duty test program is to compare the emissions of AFVs in actual service to those of otherwise identical vehicles operating on conventional fuel. Detection of emissions deterioration as a result of age and use is of particular interest. In all cases, reformulated gasoline (RFG) is used...
Program for funding this project and providing connections with numerous transit agencies that led to key data and insight. We would like to thank the transit agencies that generously shared their electric load data, operational data, and technological insight. This project would not have been possible without data from the Transportation Cooperative Research Committee's 130 report and the shared vision from Meredith Linscott and Erik Bigelow. Likewise, we would like to thank our colleague at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Josh Eichman, who's field work with electric bus fleets proved invaluable. Other NREL colleagues, Daniel Zimny-Schmitt, Joyce McLaren, and Emma Elgqvist, helped us navigate the Utility Rate Database and better address the complex relationship between electric utility and bus fleet. Lisa Jerram of the American Public Transit Association and Andy Eiden of Portland General Electric shared perspectives that greatly benefited this study. Despite the large amount of help that we have received when writing this report, any potential errors are the fault of the authors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.