Transportation

Triple Safety: Lightweighting Automobiles to Improve Occupant, Highway, and Global Safety (PDF-640 KB)
Triple Safety: Lightweighting Automobiles to Improve Occupant, Highway, and Global Safety Presentation (PDF-1.36 MB)

Automobilesʼ negative impact on human health and welfare includes traffic-related deaths and injuries as well as the deaths and injuries caused by automobilesʼ contribution to climate change and other global environmental degradation. This paper explores solutions that both enhance vehicle performance and reduce environmental impacts, and focuses on demonstrating the ability of lightweight vehicles to provide such a solution. Some controversy exists around the question of whether lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles can be as safe as traditional vehicles. Recent research reviewed in this paper indicates that several solutions exist that can both improve efficiency and thereby global safety, and maintain (or even improve) highway safety. (April 2008).

T08-1, Transformational Trucks: Determining the Energy Efficiency Limits of a Class-8 Tractor-Trailer (PDF-1.2 MB)

Feasible technological improvements in vehicle efficiency, combined with “long combination vehicles” (which raise productivity by connecting multiple trailers), can potentially raise the ton- mile efficiency of long-haul heavy tractor-trailers by a factor ~2.5 with respect to a baseline of 130 ton-miles/gal. Within existing technological and logistical constraints, these innovations (which don#t include such further opportunities as hybrid-electric powertrains or auxiliary power units to displace idling) could thus cut the average fuel used to move each ton of freight by ~64 percent. This would annually save the current U.S. Class 8 fleet about four billion gallons of diesel fuel and 45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The authors# next paper will quantify these improve$ments# apparently attractive economics. Further benefits would include lower shipping costs, bigger profits for trucking companies, fewer tractor-trailers on the road, and fewer fatal accidents involving them. Thus transformational, not incremental, redesign of tractors, trailers, and (especially) both as in integrated system can broadly benefit economic prosperity, public health, energy security, and environmental quality. (July 2008).

T07-12, Port Innovation Workshop Final Report (PDF-3.2 MB)

RMI worked with the Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to develop integrative solutions to reduce the emissions and energy usage throughout port operations. This included cargo arriving in port on ships, cargo handling at the terminal, and cargo leaving the port via truck or rail. In January 2007, we convened an Innovation Workshop with almost 70 representatives from all facets of the shipping industry--the ports, labor unions, major shipping companies, terminal operators, electric utilities and others--for two intense days. More than 40 ideas for solutions were generated, from electrifying yard hostlers to developing a “Logistics Guru” for coordinating information and even suggesting new business models for drayage trucks. It’s worth noting that while some ideas are still being evaluated, others have already been adopted by the ports. (Summer 2007).

T08-2, Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Environmentally Beneficial Load Building: Implications on California’s Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (PDF-383 KB)

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are poised to allow, for the first time, large-scale interaction between the transportation and electric utility sectors. Electricity is a more efficient vehicle fuel than are liquid fossil fuels, and it can reduce system-wide greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by transferring energy demand and emissions from the transportation to the electric utility sector. Furthermore, PHEVs represent a new type of load for electric utilities that can ultimately result in increased utilization of renewable generation. Since PHEVs would be charged primarily at night when California’s wind resource is strong, PHEVs could further offset emissions by using power with a lower GHG emissions intensity than California’s average electricity mix. (February 2008).

T08-1, Feebates - A Legislative Option to Encourage Continuous Improvements to Automobile Efficiency (PDF-2.1 MB)

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. RMI previously analyzed feebates in its 2004 publication Winning the Oil Endgame, which provides a roadmap for weaning the United States of off oil by the 2040s. Since then, RMI has collaborated with researchers, industry and other non-governmental entities to determine what characteristics a feebate could have. This paper explores: what a feebate is, 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. (February 2008).

T07-11, Trucking Efficiency Opportunities Presentation (PDF-1.7 MB)

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 giving examples of fleets such as Wal-Mart and Contract Freighters Inc who 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. (12 October 2007).

T07-10, Canadian Truck Efficiency and GHG Opportunities (PDF-350k)

On 23 October 12 2007, the CTA (Canadian Trucking Alliance) announced its "enviroTruck" initiative which focuses on the benefits possible from increased truck efficiency through application of existing "off the shelf" technologies. RMI's paper titled "Canadian Truck Efficiency and GHG Opportunities," written at the request of the CTA, quantified the fuel savings and GHG emissions savings of more efficient trucks. To learn more about CTA's "enviroTruck" program, visit www.cantruck.com (12 October 2007).

T07-01, Dust to Dust (PDF-170k)

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 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 (21 May 2007).

T05-13, Comments to NHTSA on Revised Light-Truck CAFE Standards (PDF-132k)

On 23 August 2005, NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) proposed adopting RMI's recommendation of a size- rather than weight-based structure for future light-truck CAFE standards. This 22 November 2005 comment from the Institute applauds NHTSA for this proposal as well as suggests future opportunities for improvement. See also RMI Solutions, Fall 2005 article, A Small but Encouraging Step Toward Making Light Trucks. (22 November 2005).

T05-03, Legislative Options to Improve Transportation Efficiency (PDF-290k)

This white paper provides state legislatures with options to improve vehicle transportation efficiency within the state. Vehicles account for the majority of oil use in the United States. Traditional policy prescriptions that rely on prices, taxes, or quotas are well known, but politically fraught, and have led to gridlock at the federal level. Many of the ideas outlined in this paper originate from RMI’s most recent study, Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security, www.oilendgame.org (22 April 2005).

T04-06, Comment on the American Physical Society Hydrogen Report (PDF-88k)

The American Physical Society's (APS) echo of basic errors in National Academy of Sciences and other recent reports about the alleged obstacles to a hydrogen economy elicited a correction in the July 2004 Physics and Society from APS member Amory Lovins, focusing on hydrogen storage, cost, and transition strategy.
Reprinted with permission from the American Physical Society. See: www.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/2004/july/commentary.cfm#lovins (July 2004).

T04-01, Hypercars^®, Hydrogen, and the Automotive Transition (PDF-920k)

Lightweighting is the key to making vehicles superefficient but safe. In this invited technical review paper in the International Journal of Vehicle Design, RMI's CEO Amory Lovins and Hypercar, Inc.'s VP Engineering David Cramer explain why, using as an example Hypercar's 2000 virtual design of the Revolution 99-mpg SUV. The paper also shows how Hypercar's Fiberforge™ process promises to achieve that goal at competitive cost, and how this manufacturing breakthrough can accelerate an exciting new stage in automaking and the emergence of the hydrogen economy.
Reprinted with permission from Inderscience Publishers—International Journal of Vehicle Design, Vol. 35, Nos 1/2, pp. 50–85 (23 March 2004).

T02-10, Design and Manufacture of an Affordable Advanced-Composite Automotive Body Structure (PDF-736k)

Reducing vehicle weight is critical to improving fuel economy and addressing range, performance, size, and cost challenges associated with fuel-cell and hybrid propulsion systems. This paper describes the design, fabrication, and assembly approach used for the carbon-fiber composite body structure in Hypercar, Inc.'s Revolution concept vehicle. Reprinted with permission from the Proceedings of The 19th International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition (November 2002).

T02-06, FreedomCAR, Hypercar^®, and Hydrogen (PDF-1.0 MB)

Amory Lovins's testimony, leading an auto-industry panel, to the House Science Committee's Energy Subcommittee, on the Big Three automakers' and U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR program. Notes that their 10–20 year development goal was already designed in 2000 by Hypercar, Inc., and suggests bolder program goals (June 2002).

T01-22, Next Exit: Safe, Fuel-Efficient Cars (PDF-44k)

New technology is currently available and affordable for manufacturers to begin producing cars that incorporate the best of safety and fuel efficiency. This article, by Jason Denner and Peter Light, which first appeared in The Washington Post, discusses how such cars can be designed and why they aren't on the market yet (21 August 2001).

T01-13, Dream Machine: One Quest to Build A Truly 'Clean' Car Has Gathered Steam (PDF-48k)

From his solar-powered digs, Amory Lovins is gearing up to take on the giants of the global auto industry. This article, by Jeffery Ball, staff reporter of The Wall Street Journal, discusses Mr. Lovins dream to create an earth-friendly SUV (January 2001).