A Farewell to Fossil Fuels: Answering the Energy Challenge

In this article published in Foreign Affairs, Amory Lovins describes a U.S. transition from fossil fuels--a blueprint detailed in Reinventing Fire-- that requires pursuing transformational change in automotive efficiency, design of buildings and factories, and the electric system.

 

Reinventing Fire Transportation Sector Methodology

This document provides RMI's methodology for the analysis of the transportation sector in Reinventing Fire.

 

Ultralight Vehicles: Non-Linear Correlations Between Weight and Safety

Development of dramatically lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles has been slowed by perceptions that lighter vehicles are less safe. This conference paper describes RMI's virtually modeled ultralight concept vehicle that met NHTSA safety requirements, and shows how lightweighting the fleet can accelerate progress towards “Triple Safety”—protection from climate change, drivers themselves, and other road users.

 

Feebates: a Legislative Option to Encourage Continuous Improvements to Automobile Efficiency

A feebate is an incentive policy that encourages the continuous improvement of automobile fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions by providing incentives for manufacturers to build more efficient vehicles and rewarding consumers who purchase more efficient vehicles. This paper explores: why RMI believes a feebate is a valuable tool, recent analysis that RMI has done on feebates, what the current status of the feebate is, and how the feebate could interact with existing laws.

 

Triple Safety: Lightweighting Automobiles to Improve Occupant, Highway, and Global Safety

This paper explores how lightweighting vehicles can improve the safety of vehicle occupants and highway users as well as environmental health. The author posits solutions that enhance vehicle performance and reduce environmental impacts, and focuses on demonstrating the ability of lightweight vehicles to provide such a solution. SAE Paper 2008-01-1282 © 2008 SAE International. This paper is posted on this site with permission from SAE International. As a user of this site, you are permitted to view this paper on-line, and print one copy of this paper at no cost for your use only. This paper may not be copied, distributed or forwarded to others for further use without permission from SAE.

 

Transformational Trucks: Determining the Energy Efficiency Limits of a Class-8 Tractor Trailer

This paper reports on the technological improvements of efficiency of tractor-trailers that can raise the efficiency of the vehicles dramatically. The authors argue that transformational change of tractor-trailer design can benefit economic prosperity, public health, energy security, and environmental quality.

 

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Environmentally Beneficial Load Building: Implications on California’s Revenue Adjustment Mechanism

This paper considers how California's regulations pose a challenge for the widespread production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Strategies for changing the state's regulations, and therefore allowing the increased production of such vehicles, are proposed.

 

Profitable GHG Reduction Through Fuel Economy

This presentation outlines practical ways that Class-8 truck fleets can realize significant fuel savings and increased profits through fuel efficiency. Focusing on components that save fuel and providing case studies that have capitalized on these opportunities, RMI's researchers demonstrate how a 25% fuel economy improvement is possible today using existing technologies that can be retrofitted onto almost any highway truck.

 

Dust to Dust's Assumptions About the Prius and the Hummer

To check the results presented in "Dust to Dust," a life cycle analysis that claims to show that a Hummer has less environmental impact than a Prius, RMI authors manipulated Argonne National Labs automotive life cycle analysis model to incorporate some of "Dust to Dust's" stated assumptions. The model found that, even including known "Dust to Dust" assumptions, the Prius still has less environmental impact over it's lifetime

 

Truck Efficiency and GHG Reduction Opportunities in the Canadian Truck Fleet

This paper, which was written at the request of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, quantifies fuel and greenhouse gas emission savings from more efficient trucks. The paper identifies fuel-efficiency devices that can offset engine-efficiency loses.

 

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