Ted Barnes from the Gas Technology Institute presented an Overview of Current Fuel Trends and Barriers at the 11th Annual Green Vehicles Workshop & Showcase on Tuesday, April 22, 2014.
Overview of Current Fuel Trends and Barriers for Green Vehicles
1. Overview on Current Fuel
Trends and Barriers :
Propane, CNG, and
Electricity
Green Vehicles Workshop
Ted Barnes
Gas Technology Institute
April 2014
2. 22
Objectives
A. Intro to Fuel Type
B. Fueling Station Basics
C. Barriers
D. Trends and “Typical” Applications
3. 33
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4. 44
Propane Autogas 101
oLPG or Propane or Autogas is transferred into a
vehicle as pressurized liquid and will vaporize at
atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature
oLike gasoline or diesel, propane gas is heavier than
air
oPropane is burned in internal combustion engine to
power vehicle; same as gasoline or diesel
oPropane is dispensed and sold by liquid gallon
oPropane Autogas station is similar to gasoline
station; fueling time is similar – 10-12 gallons/min
6. 66
CNG 101
oCompressed Natural Gas (CNG) is mostly Methane
(chemical formula CH4), stored in gaseous form
oUnlike other fuels, natural gas is lighter than air
oCNG pressure is 3600 psi at 70° F (typical settled
pressure), and no more than 4500 psi at any temp
oCNG is burned in internal combustion engine to
power vehicle; same as gasoline or diesel
oStation is similar to gasoline station, “fast-fill” 5-10
“gallons”/min. “Time-fill” or home fueling is possible
8. 88
Electricity as Trans. Fuel 101
oFueling can be performed in a residential garage or
at commercial location:
o Level 1 - Standard household 120 VAC, 12 A, 7
to 16 hours for full charge.
o Level 2 - 240 VAC, 20 A, 3 to 7 hours for charge
o DC Fast Charge - requires 480 VAC to charger,
DC current goes directly to battery, charges
vehicle to 80% capacity in 30 minutes
oElectric motor in vehicle
oCommercially sold in a variety of ways (subscription,
per charge, per hour, per kWh)
10. 1010
Barriers for Alternative Fuels
o Issues of scale:
oCost – upfront vehicle and station cost
o Number of fueling locations (range anxiety)
o Number of available vehicle models
o Maintenance facilities
o Lack of environmental policy and/or incentives to
switch to cleaner vehicles
o Understanding/education of alternative fuels (i.e.
availability, safety, code officials)
11. 1111
Best Practices and Applications
o All of these alt fuels are a triple win:
o Economic advantages
o Environmental benefits
o Energy security benefits
o All of these alt fuels offer “dedicated” and “bi-fuel”
options; option to use traditional fuel and/or alt fuel
o Training and “buy-in” key to every deployment
o Knowing your vehicle needs and driving
characteristics
12. 1212
Propane “Typical” Applications
o Low fueling station cost and
maintenance garage similarities
leads to low upfront capital
investment
Propane Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
400 to 800 (varies
by vocation)
Fleet Size Small to Large (>5)
Vehicle Class Light Duty; Medium
Duty
Fuel Usage High (>1000 gal/yr.)
Time of Day Ops 24/7
Station Cost $30,000 (Small Fast
Fill) - $175,000 (100’s
of vehicles/day)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(LD Fleet vehicle)
$2,533 (25,000 miles
; 26.4 mpg; $2.67 /
gallon)
1. Fuel cost from Clean Cities Alt Fuel Price Report (Oct 2013, Midwest); Fuel Economy 85% of LD vehicle
13. 1313
CNG “Typical” Applications
o High Fuel use vehicles have very
fast Return On Investment
because of low per gallon cost
CNG Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
200 to 600 (varies by
vocation)
Fleet Size Medium to Large
(>10)
Vehicle Class LD; MD; HD
Fuel Usage High (>2000 gal/yr.)
Time of Day Ops 24/7
Station Cost $40,000 (Small time-
fill) - $2M (100’s of
vehicles/day)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(LD Fleet vehicle)
$1,508 (25,000 miles
; 31 mpg; $1.83 /
GGE)
1. Fuel cost from Clean Cities Alt Fuel Price Report (Oct 2013, Midwest); Fuel Economy of 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas
14. 1414
EV “Typical” Applications
o Zero tailpipe emissions and high
motor efficiency lead to local
environmental benefits
EV Fleet
“Sweet Spot”
Range Limits
(miles)
30 to 100 (varies
by vocation)
Fleet Size Small to Medium
Vehicle Class Light Duty;
MD/HD (limited)
Fuel Usage Low
Time of Day Ops 8 hours / day
Station Cost $1,000/vehicle
(Level 1) - $75,000
(DC Fast Charge)
Fuel Cost per
year1
(Light Duty Fleet
vehicle)
$1050
(25,000 miles;
.35kwh/mile;
.12/kwh)
1. Fuel cost from EIA (Midwest, 2013); Fuel Economy from US DOE eGallon