Alternative Refueling Infrastructure

The Alternative Refueling Infrastructure Report is intended for internal use by CEC staff as a review of the technology and market status of the following alternative transportation fuels: ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen. The report conveys the status of key technologies associated with infrastructure supply systems, as well as the current market status and in some cases the potential future market status of each fuel. Each alternative fuel faces unique market adoption challenges, and many are in different stages of technological and market maturity. The scope of this report is intended to provide an overview of issues related to the market acceleration activities being conducted through the Clean Transportation Program.

All alternative fuels discussed in this report offer some near- or long-term advantage over conventional gasoline and diesel fuels, including (in most cases) being less expensive to consumers, having reduced greenhouse gases (GHG) and/or criteria emissions, and displacing petroleum fuels. Disadvantages include being more expensive during market introduction, significant infrastructure capital costs, limited range of vehicles, lack of available infrastructure, and business model challenges associated with early market adoption dynamics.

Significant near-term market intervention will likely be required in order for alternative fuels and associated infrastructure to become established and, ultimately, economically competitive with conventional petroleum fuels. Based upon this and other reviews, there are no clear winners among alternative fuel options, warranting a portfolio policy approach to supporting the deployment of multiple fuel types. It is likely that multiple alternative fuels will compete for different market segments and growth opportunities during the transition to a low-carbon transportation future.

For future work, refined analytical models capable of determining optimal types and locations of future alternative fueling stations can help to ensure that the Clean Transportation Program investments are cost-effective, and that the CEC’s transportation sector objectives are met with an efficient use of public funds. This report contributes to a more complete understanding of those investment options by reviewing key technology and market status issues.