Futures Vehicles and Fuels report “On the Road in 2035″
Futures Vehicles and Fuels report “On the Road in 2035″
The AGS Energy Flagship team at MIT released a synthesis report of research on future vehicles and fuels. “On the road in 2035: reducing transportation’s petroleum consumption and GHG emissions” first assesses the performance, cost, and life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of individual new vehicle and fuel technologies. The authors then evaluate the total impact of on-the-road fleets, and compare the potential of these technologies.
The report concludes that a 30-50% reduction in fuel consumption is feasible over the next 30 years through a combination of improved gasoline and diesel engines and transmissions, gasoline hybrids, and reductions in vehicle weight and drag – with costs in the range of US$1 500-4 500 per vehicle. Over the long term, plug-in hybrids and later still, hydrogen fuel cells may enter the fleet in numbers sufficient to have a significant impact on fuel use and emissions. In contrast, alternative fuels that could replace petroleum fuels in the near-term (such as current biofuels) are unlikely to change GHG emissions significantly.
Progress must therefore come from a comprehensive, coordinated effort to develop and market more efficient vehicles and benign fuels, and to find more sustainable ways to satisfy transportation demands.
