INFORM - Reports - Archive - Sustainable Transportation

Reports - Archive - Sustainable Transportation

Please note that we are in the process of updating our research. Check back frequently for the latest factsheets and updated information. In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can email us at info@informinc.org or call Sophie Cardona at 212.361.2400, ext 224.

The reports below are listed in chronological order.

Bus Futures 2006

by David Port and John Atkinson
ISBN 918790-86-1

This report is a follow-up to Bus Futures: New Technologies for Cleaner Cities (2000), which focused on emerging transit technologies. Bus Futures 2006 examines how those technologies have evolved since 2000 and are employed in the transit bus sector.

Transit bus agencies looking to purchase new buses for their fleets are faced with more fuel and technology choices than ever before. They also have to meet a growing number of goals and expectations, such as greater fuel economy, fewer emissions, or better reliability. However, the choices these agencies make affect not only their bottom lines, but the health of the public and the environment. [more]

The Transportation Boom in Asia: Crisis and Opportunity for the United States

Written by INFORM's senior research fellow James S. Cannon, The Transportation Boom in Asia: Crisis and Opportunity for the United States details how soaring oil use and expanding transportation in China and India have put these countries on a collision course with the US. The 42-page report addresses in detail the trends in transportation development and oil consumption in China and India and the implications for the US; what these three countries' goals are for developing sustainable transportation in the long run; and, the steps they are taking today to mitigate the effects of the growing competition for access to oil - the world's most rapidly dwindling fossil fuel. The report concludes with a series of eight recommendations, which lay out a cogent framework for addressing these issues and for taking advantage of the opportunities for export growth in the alternative fuel vehicle markets.

New York City's Commercial Hauling Fleet: An Oppotunity for New York City to Ensure Cleaner, Quieter Waste Collection Operations

Antonia Byrson, Joanna D. Underwood and Juliet Burdelski (2006) ISBN 918780-85-3

Greening Garbage Trucks: Trends in Alternative Fuel Use, 2002-2005

James S. Cannon (2006) ISBN 918780-84-5

The study is a follow-up to the groundbreaking research presented in 2003’s Greening Garbage Trucks: New Technologies for Cleaner Air—finds robust growth in the use of alternative fuel refuse trucks in the US and internationally.

Greening Garbage Trucks: New Technologies for Cleaner Air

Deborah Gordon, Juliet Burdelski, and James S. Cannon (2003, 114 pp.,) ISBN 918790-80-2

A look at the innovative deployment of cleaner-fuel technologies in the refuse industry, this report gives operations planners, policymakers, business leaders, public agencies, environmentalists, and the public the information they need to make current and future garbage truck purchases that reduce emissions and protect public health.

Read an executive summary of this report.

Pollution-Free Transportation - How Do We Get There From Here?

INFORM (2002, 8pp., Free to download - Right Click the link above and save to your disk.)

"Pollution-Free Transportation" highlights why the US should shift to electric hybrid vehicles and vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as natural gas. Aside from reducing US dependence on oil, these alternative-fuel vehicles reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gas
emissions. Alternative-fuel vehicles also pave the way to pollution-free hydrogen-fuel vehicles because many of the systems needed for
transporting, delivering, and storing natural gas fuel are the same as those needed to deliver hydrogen. Beyond explaining why current US oil-consumption rates are unsustainable, "Pollution-Free Transport" focuses on solutions that are available now-natural-gas powered transit buses, refuse trucks, and school buses-and it describes what the government, community leaders, and individuals can do to promotealternative-fuel vehicles and reduce vehicular pollution.

Clean Transportation for New York: A Long Road Ahead

Roberta Weisbrod and Gina Goldstein (2000, 42 pp.,) ISBN 918790-72-1

This report documents policies and programs aimed at putting clean-fuel vehicles on the road in New York State and City. Includes findings on New York's progress in making the transition to cleaner vehicles, as well as recommendations for significantly accelerating the acquisition and use of clean-fuel cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles throughout the state.

Read an executive summary of this report.

Driving Clean Transportation: LEV II, A Policy That Works
A Case Study of New York State

This report evaluates the two systems currently in place in the US for regulating vehicle emissions--the EPA's Tier 1 program and California's LEV program--and the more stringent versions of these programs, known as Tier 2 and LEV II, that will be implemented beginning in 2004. The report assesses the relative ability of Tier 2 and LEV II to promote rapid progress in reducing vehicle emissions and the threats they pose to public health and the environment, and the technological and economic viability of meeting the more stringent requirements contained in LEV II.

Green Transportation for New Jersey: The Promise of Clean Fuels

Sibyl R. Golden (2000, 90 pp.,) ISBN 918790-75-6

This report provides the first overview of New Jersey's efforts to provide its 8 million citizens with cleaner, healthier air through the use of alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles. It assesses the status of clean-fuel vehicles in the state, analyzes existing programs and policies, and presents a series of recommendations for making New Jersey a leader in the nation's shift to clean vehicle fuels.

Bus Futures: New Technologies for Cleaner Cities

James S. Cannon and Chyi Sun (2000, 76 pp.,) ISBN 918790-74-8

A look at the latest innovations in fuels and engine technology in the US bus industry, this report gives transit planners, environmentalists, and government and business leaders the information they need to make bus purchase decisions that lead to cleaner air and better health for their communities. It offers a side-by-side comparison of the commercial availability, performance, emissions, safety, and costs of conventional diesel versus conventional natural gas buses. The status and emissions performance of newer technologies, such as hybrid electric-diesel, hybrid electric-natural gas, and fuel cell buses, are also discussed. The report presents a snapshot of transit agency policies, perspectives, and bus purchase trends and offerings of the major bus manufacturers.

China at the Crossroads: Energy, Transportation and the 21st Century

James S. Cannon (1998, 32 pp.,) ISSN 1050-8953, Vol. 5, No.2

Describes the implications of the explosive vehicle growth underway in China, including increased health threats to Chinese citizens, ever-fiercer competition for oil and the risk of global climate change. Alternatives such as clean fuels and advanced vehicle technologies are discussed.

Gearing Up for Hydrogen: America's Road to Sustainable Transportation

Shows how the technology to power electric vehicles more efficiently with hydrogen fuel cells is available today for commercial use, and points out steps government can take to expand the market for hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

Spotlight on New York: A Decade of Progress in Alternative Fuels

Provides a complete summary of New York State and City's progress toward sustainable transportation through a variety of innovative programs and inspired initatives.

Read an executive summary of this report.

Harnessing Hydrogen: The Key to Sustainable Transportation

James S. Cannon (1995, 360 pp.,) ISBN 0-918780-65-9

Provides a comprehensive overview of national and international initiatives to produce pollution-free hydrogen from renewable resources and then store, distribute, and use it in vehicles.

Read an executive summary of this report.

Paving the Way to Natural Gas Vehicles

James S. Cannon (1993, out of print; manuscript copy,) ISBN 0-918780-59-4

Presents 25 steps to using clean, abundant natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Discusses costs and results of programs promoting increased use of natural gas vehicles - in research and development, through government incentives, and in fleet demonstrations.

Reformulated Gasoline: Cleaner Air on the Road to Nowhere

Compares the pollution-reducing benefits of reformulated gasoline and natural gas as automotive fuels. Explains why RFG, as an oil-derived fuel, is not a long-term fuel option.

Drive for Clean Air

Discusses the positive aspects of methanol and gas, the obstacles in the way of increased development, government and private sector fuel programs, and foreign efforts to promote the use of alternative fuels.

Click here for articles related to INFORM's research on sustainable transportation that have appeared in outside publications.

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