Transportation Solutions
Making our personal, commercial and municipal vehicles cleaner and more dependable
Any conversation about addressing climate change must include our transportation sector. Right now, the vehicles on American roads account for just over a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions.
The question is how we can mitigate these emissions while still allowing people and goods to travel on the roads affordably and reliably. For many policymakers and activists, the catchall answer to this question is electrification. However, compelling communities, businesses and individuals to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is not viable at this point. Indeed, it could lead to significant risks for our residents.
More EVs — easier said than done
At the local, state and federal level, we’re seeing regulations, legislation and incentive structures meant to encourage the wide adoption of electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the move to EVs is not uncomplicated . Consider these challenges:
On the subject of the electric grid, it’s important to remember that an EV’s carbon intensity is determined by how clean the electricity powering it is. Right now, the average U.S. grid-based electricity has a markedly higher carbon intensity than gasoline, diesel and the alternative fuel we’ll discuss shortly.
[Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center – Registered Vehicles in PA, 2023]
[Source: “Pennsylvania Clean Trucks Program” Sept 2023, ERM]
Better mileage and cleaner traditional fuels
Rather than putting all our eggs in the EV basket, why not consider how we can ensure the cleanest operations of our traditionally fueled vehicles? The Environmental Protection Agency studied how driving the vehicle with the highest feasible mile-per-gallon could reduce an individual’s fuel usage . They found that better mileage alone could reduce annual fuel consumption by 10%. Projected across all households, this could avoid using roughly 10 billion gallons of gasoline each year!
And the fuel these traditional vehicles use is cleaner than ever. Today’s diesel fuel has about 97% of its sulfur content removed, allowing for improved pollution control devices in diesel vehicles. Drivers of gasoline-powered cars have more access than ever to ethanol, a renewable fuel made from plant matter and other organic feedstocks. On the basis of the life cycle , ethanol’s emissions reductions can range from 40% to 88% and even higher!
Shifting to the alternative fuels below can achieve instant, sustainable emissions reductions for a fraction of the cost and disruption of converting to EVs.
Biodiesel is derived from organic and recycled materials, including vegetable oils, animal fats, grease and other waste products. The Argonne National Laboratory determined that the carbon dioxide emissions of 100% biodiesel are 74% less than those of petroleum . Biodiesel can be blended with ultra-low-sulfur diesel for use in virtually all diesel engines.
Biodiesel has some additional benefits beyond its environmental impact. It improves the fuel lubricity and the cetane number of ultra-low-sulfur fuel. This goes a long way to keeping engine parts from wearing out faster. Biodiesel also has a considerably higher “flashpoint” than petroleum diesel, making it less combustible in the case of a spill.
Renewable diesel is also made with fats and oil, but it is produced through various technological pathways, including hydrotreating and gasification. It can be used as a drop-in fuel in most existing diesel engines and its carbon intensity reduction, on average, is 65% that of petroleum diesel.
Right now, there are about 60,000 propane vehicles on U.S. roadways. These include police cruisers, service vans, school buses, shuttles and more.
Propane has a lower carbon intensity over its life cycle than gasoline, diesel or the average of Pennsylvania’s grid electricity. Converting an older vehicle fleet from gasoline or diesel to propane autogas can meaningfully lower your emissions of carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. That’s a big deal when it comes to air quality.
It’s also worth noting that biodiesel, renewable diesel and propane are predominately American-made. When you choose these green transportation solutions, you’re supporting U.S. farmers and producers.
Sources: National Auto Dealers Association, “EPA’s De Facto Electric Vehicle Mandate: Too Far, Too Fast”; Empire Center, “Turning NY’s Yellow Buses Green Could Cost $8B+”; U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions”; USA Today, “Why electric cars don’t do well in cold weather – and what you can do about it”; Politico, “Mayors to Biden: We’re not prepared for your electric vehicle boom”; The Propane Education & Research Council; Kelley Blue Book, “How Much Are Electric Cars?”