sustainable fuels for urban transit buses - holger dalkmann
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Sustainable Fuels for Urban Transit
BusesHolger Dalkmann, Director, EMBARQ
www.embarq.org
Sustainable Fuels for Urban Transit Buses | Apr. 15, 2013
Holger Dalkmann, EMBARQ Director
2 million of premature deaths from respiratory illnesses caused
by air pollution
Deaths from Chronic Respiratory Problems per 100,000Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington
Though some comprehensive resources available, often focused on the US and Europe…
A variety of people making vehicle and fuel decisions
Information from different studies often appears to conflict
Trade-offs between pollutions health impacts, GHG impacts, and air pollution impacts
Need for Information on Vehicle Emissions
Different fuels have different impacts
Diesel:
Depending on quality, can
cause significant
emissions of harmful air
pollutants
Compressed Natural Gas:
Fewer, but finer particulate
emissions and higher
methane emissions
In 2004, the Supreme Court mandated natural gas (CNG)
for all public buses and autorickshaws in a number of cities
Are there other fuels that could be as effective at reducing
emissions?
Is natural gas the right choice to reduce vehicle emissions?
Improving the ST Research AgendaWhat’s the best choice? Need to understand the full lifecycle impact
OperationsFuel Production
Raw materialproduction Waste disposal
Images from Greenhouse Gas Protocol, World Resources Institute and University of Manchester Bus Logo
OperationsFuel Production
Raw materialproduction Waste disposal
Images from Greenhouse Gas Protocol, World Resources Institute and University of Manchester Bus Logo
Initial research focused on operation emissions
CNG has low PM emissions. Do the technologies exist to
reduce PM emissions from diesel?
Yes, however, the ability to use these technologies
depends on the sulfur content of diesel
Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel = 10 - 15 ppm (EU/US Standard)
CNG vs. Diesel: Common questions
Sulfur ppm Location in India
50 Major cities
350 Metropolitan areas
500 Nationwide
Particulate matter emissions from ULSD
with technologies are similar to CNG
ULSD +
tech Non-ULSD
+ no filters
For fuels for India: NOx vs. PM
For two very harmful types of emissions:
CNG is clearly lower in PM, but has similar
NOx emissions to Diesel
For fuels for India: CO2e vs. PM
Comparing GHGs to
health impacts:
All have high variability,
but diesel tends to
perform better
Air pollution key concern for
urbanizing India
International Approach
tailpipe emissions vs Indian
on use of fuels
No clear winner between
fuels – local situation is vital
CNG vs Diesel: Similar
impact, IF clean technology
and low sulfur diesel exist
Conclusions
Move regulation from type of fuel to
pollutants content
Accelerate introduction of ULSD
Support from MOUD and others to better
understand trade-offs and provide guidance
to decision-makers
Recommendations
Thank you
Holger Dalkmann
www.embarq.org
www.thecityfix.com
Research paper can be downloaded
http://www.embarq.org/sites/default/fi
les/EMB12_WorkingPaper_Fuels_0.pdf