August Question of the Month

Question of the Month: Where can I find case studies and other information about fleets that have successfully adopted alternative fuels and advanced vehicles?

Answer:

Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Resources

The AFDC Case Studies search (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/case) is a great resource for examples of what real fleets are doing related to alternative fuels. This page allows the user to search by category or keyword.  Categories include fuels and technologies, such as biodiesel and idle reduction, as well as applications such as law enforcement and public transit. The Case Study search functionality was recently updated to provide a better search experience, so be sure to check it out.

Another useful tool is the AFDC Publications database (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/publications/). The publications database includes more detailed reports and case studies written by the national laboratories and other organizations regarding the implementation of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles in fleets. This page is also searchable by category or keyword.

Clean Cities Resources

The Clean Cities YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/cleancitiestv) is one of the newest Clean Cities tools. The channel features more than 200 case study videos, including MotorWeek Clean Cities Success Story segments, and other educational media for fleets. In addition, Clean Cities Now (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/newsletter.html) includes a “Fleet Experiences” section in each biannual publication. Each “Fleet Experiences” article contains information about a fleet that has successfully transitioned their fleet to alternative fuels.

Clean Cities coalitions are also great resources for information about the “real world” use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicles at the local and regional level. The Clean Cities Coalition Contacts page (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/coalitions/coalition_contacts.php) provides a list of coalitions and their websites. Some coalitions post stakeholder fleet case studies on their websites or feature success stories in their newsletters.

Industry Associations and Publications

Some industry association websites also contain useful case studies that focus on the use of specific fuel and technology types. For example, the National Biodiesel Board “Market Segments” page (http://www.biodiesel.org/using-biodiesel/market-segments) provides examples of fleets using biodiesel in different applications, as well as stories on several “feature fleets.” Additionally, fleet publications such as Automotive Fleet (http://www.automotive-fleet.com/Channel/Green-Fleet.aspx) and Green Fleet (http://www.greenfleetmagazine.com/) publish articles about fleets that are adopting alternative fuels and advanced vehicles.

Clean Cities Technical Response Service Team