Greenish machine : on the road to reduced CO2 emissions via higher fuel economy and alternative fuels..

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
DeCicco, John M.

1992

CIENA
2322

This paper addressed the question of how to expediently reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and petroleum dependence of personal transportation in the United States. The focus is on vehicle technologies rather than transportation demand, and is expressly on the near-term. For that reason, the analysis is restricted to fuels and technologies which, assuming appropriate public iniciatives, can be reliably and extensively commercialized over the next 10-15 years. The discussion is based on a review of recent studies, which generally examine either efficiency improvement or alternative fuels but rarely address the relation between the two. The alternative fuels considered are methanol and natural gas used in an internal combustion engine and grid electricity used in a battery powered vehicle. Technologies, cost, and performance information are presented for five alternative compact cars, powered by : (1) gasoline at 35 MPG, (2) gasoline at 45 MPG, (3) methanol (M85,flexible fuel), (4) compressed natural gas (CNG), and (5) electricity. There is significant overlap among technologies available for improving fuel economy and technologiews needed for alternatively fueled vehicles. Efficiency improvement is found to offer the most cost-effective near-term benefits for reducing both CO2 emissions and oil use. Alternatively fueled vehicles may be required in the long-term for renewable fuels use and in the near-term for air quality reasons. However, because efficiency improvement is synergistic with alternative fuel technologies, the pursuit of simultaneous investments in both approaches is desirable. A balanced approach, including a variety of complementary public policies, will be needed to pursue an economically efficient path to making a transition to widespread renewable fuel use.+.

Presenta gráfs., tbls.

ESTADOS UNIDOS; CONTROL DE EMISION DE GASES; AHORRO DE COMBUSTIBLE; USO RACIONAL DE LA ENERGIA; COMBUSTIBLES ALTERNATIVOS; ANHIDRIDO CARBONICO; DEPENDENCIA ENERGETICA; PETROLEO; TRANSPORTE DE PASAJEROS; SECTOR TRANSPORTE; VEHICULOS; METANOL; GAS NATURAL; TECNOLOGIA; COSTOS;