Alternative transportation fuels and vehicle technologies: challenges and opportunities
This report presents a side-by-side comparison of fuels and vehicles with the recognition that future technological advances or additional research into unresolved issues, such as the land-use impact of biofuel production, could alter findings and make certain options more or less attractive. The report examines the benefits and challenges of various alternatives, including resource availability, infrastructure needs, capital requirements, timetables for at-scale contributions, and environmental sustainability. It looks at new alternative fuels, from hydrocarbon products to biofuels, and provides an overview of the infrastructure challenge the United States faces when looking to implement any of these new alternatives on a mass scale. It also focuses on advances in technologies for light-duty vehicles including high-efficiency internal-combustion engines, flex-fuel vehicles, and hybrid and electric cars., and addresses the challenges in adopting new policies and creating incentives for change.