U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Energy Analysis

Transportation Energy Futures Project

Transportation accounts for 71% of total U.S. petroleum consumption and 33% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project examines underexplored oil-savings and greenhouse gas–reduction opportunities by aggregating transportation energy knowledge and estimating opportunities.

The project addresses high-priority questions to inform transportation energy strategies, priorities, and investments. Research and analysis identifies near-term actions that support long-term energy goals. The project looks beyond technology to examine the marketplace, consumer behavior, industry capabilities, and infrastructure. More information on the project can be found in the TEF fact sheet, analysis snapshot, and overview presentation.

The project is organized in four research areas: light-duty vehicles, non-light-duty vehicles, fuels, and transportation demand. Findings are detailed in a series of nine reports, including:

Light-Duty Vehicles

• Non-Cost Barriers to Consumer Adoption of New Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies
• Vehicle Technology Deployment Pathways: An Examination of Timing and Investment Constraints

Non-Light-Duty Vehicles

• Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvement Beyond the Light-Duty Sector

Fuels

• Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Expansion: Costs, Resources, Production Capacity, and Retail Availability for Low-Carbon Scenarios (coming April 5, 2013)
• Projected Biomass Utilization for Fuels and Power in a Mature Market

Transportation Demand

• Effects of the Built Environment on Transportation: Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Other Factors
  
• Effects of Travel Reduction and Efficient Driving on Transportation: Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future (coming March 26, 2013)
• Freight Transportation Modal Shares: Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future (coming March 26, 2013)

TEF is a collaboration between EERE, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The project benefitted from the input provided by a steering committee that included some of the nation's foremost experts on transportation energy from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), academic researchers, and industry associations.

More Information

For more information about TEF, contact eere.analysis@EE.Doe.Gov.