Vehicle Emissions Reduction

Jump to related links Jump to related documents

Alternative fuels

Alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies offer opportunities for significant reductions in emissions and increases in efficiency.

Different alternative fuels and technologies are in various stages of development. Each have unique performance and emissions characteristics.

Alternative fuels include

• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), mainly methane
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), mainly propane or butane
• Methanol
• Ethanol
• Hydrogen
• Electricity
• Vegetable oils
• Synthetic liquid fuels derived from coal and various fuel blends, such as gasohol

Depending on the feedstock and the process used to make these fuels, they can be very low or very high in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, methanol made from coal would approximately double GHG emissions compared to conventional gasoline, whereas methanol made from natural gas would be slightly lower than gasoline and made from cellulose would be about 60% lower.

• IANGV - International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles, NGV, CNG
• Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC)
• Alternative Fuel Station Locator - USA
• Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fleet Buyer's Guide
  [Clean Cities]
• Alternative Fuel Vehicle Group
  [newsletters]
• Greencars.com

• General Reports - International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles
  IANGV web site [in PDF and MS Word format]
• Progress and Challenges in Motor Vehicle Pollution Control: The Role of Alternative Fuels
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 484kb]
• California Experience in Converting Vehicles to Alternative Fuels
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 119kb]
• Alternative Fuels: the Latin American experience
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 15kb]
• Alternative Transport Fuels: Synthesis of pilot projects
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 19kb]
• A Bus Named Desire: A Broader Perspective on Alternative Fuels
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 542kb]
• Transit Bus Technology Developments in US/Europe: A Look At Three Cities
  RETA 5937 workshop presentation [PDF: 69kb]
• International Experience with Natural Gas Vehicles
  South Asia Urban Air Quality Management Briefing Note No. 2