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

Clean Cities

Clean Cities Goals and Accomplishments

Clean Cities is aiming to reduce U.S. petroleum fuel use by 2.5 billion gallons per year.



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Clean Cities Overview



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Clean Cities 2011
Annual Metrics Report

Clean Cities' primary goal is to reduce petroleum use in the United States by 2.5 billion gallons per year by 2020. To achieve this goal, Clean Cities employs three strategies:

  • Replace petroleum with alternative and renewable fuels
  • Reduce petroleum consumption through smarter driving practices and fuel economy improvements
  • Eliminate petroleum use through idle reduction and other fuel-saving technologies and practices.

Clean Cities coalitions and stakeholders have saved more than 4.5 billion gallons of petroleum since the program's inception in 1993. Clean Cities efforts have helped deploy thousands of alternative fuel vehicles and the fueling stations needed to serve them, aided in the elimination of millions of hours of vehicle idling, and helped accelerate the entry of electric-drive vehicles into the marketplace.

 

Clean Cities Cumulative Petroleum Savings

 

Since its inception in 1993, Clean Cities has eliminated the need for more than 4.5 billion gallons* of petroleum through alternative fuel use, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and other strategies. Source: Clean Cities annual metrics reports

*Petroleum savings include both gasoline and diesel fuel. Savings are measured in gasoline-gallon equivalents (GGEs), representing a quantity of fuel with the same energy content as a gallon of gasoline.

 
Petroleum Saved by Clean Cities
Year Annual Cumulative
2011 805000000 4533000000
2010 645000000 3689000000
2009 670000000 3083000000
2008 412000000 2413000000
2007 375000000 2001000000
2006 360000000 1626000000
2005 250000000 1266000000
2004 233000000 1016000000
2003 156000000 782000000
2002 133000000 626000000
2001 119000000 494000000
2000 92000000 375000000
1999 87000000 283000000
1998 67000000 196000000
1997 43000000 128000000
1996 45000000 86000000
1995 26000000 41000000
1994 15000000 15000000

Petroleum Savings by Technology Type

 
 

In 2011, Clean Cities saved 349 million gallons of petroleum with the use of alternative fuel vehicles. Source: Clean Cities annual metrics reports

 
Petroleum Savings by Technology Type
Technology Type Petroleum Reduced
Idle Reduction 32300000
Alternative Fuels & Vehicles 348500000
Fuel Economy 10400000
Off-Road 5800000
Hybrid Electric Vehicles 33300000
Vehicle Miles Traveled 34500000
Breakdown of AFV Petroleum Reduction by Vehicle Type
Vehicle Type Petroleum Reduced
Natural Gas 195000000
Ethanol (E85) 49000000
Biodiesel 70000000
Propane 19000000
Electric 16000000

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Vehicle Inventory

 
Click on a fuel name to exclude it from view.
 

Coalitions have made great strides in deploying alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in the United States. In 2011, more than 660,000 of the AFVs on the road were deployed with help from Clean Cities efforts. Source: Clean Cities annual metrics reports

Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Vehicle Inventory
Fuel 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Biodiesel 31922 52275 91584 98785 17222 2814 88726 99347
Electric 9241 7350 9376 4999 13761 4490 8826 10113
Ethanol (E85) 47643 72899 221834 385671 524169 642520 403981 479706
Hydrogen 23 42 72 86 75 74 62 118
Natural Gas 76257 51144 59729 56752 53174 46355 46321 52472
Propane 31338 21117 25543 23628 22260 7937 13196 18793

U.S. Alternative Fueling Station Inventory

 
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Today's drivers can find thousands of fueling stations across the country that provide natural gas, electricity, ethanol, and other alternative fuels. Source: Alternative Fuels Data Center

U.S. Alternative Fueling Station Inventory
Fuel Type 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Biodiesel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 79 142 176 304 459 742 645 679 644 627 675
Electric 0 0 0 188 194 310 486 490 558 693 873 830 671 588 465 442 430 465 541 3394 13392
Ethanol (E85) 2 7 32 37 68 71 40 49 113 154 149 188 200 436 762 1208 1644 1928 2142 2442 2553
Hydrogen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 9 14 17 32 46 63 58 56 58
Methanol (M85) 43 50 82 88 95 106 91 51 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Natural Gas 349 497 1042 1065 1491 1497 1334 1313 1261 1276 1202 1097 975 827 769 756 816 808 880 995 1166
Propane 3297 3297 3299 3299 4252 4255 5318 4153 3268 3403 3431 3966 3689 2995 2619 2371 2175 2468 2647 2597 2654
 

Since 1993, Clean Cities has funded more than 500 transportation projects nationwide through a competitive application process. Clean Cities has distributed $377 million in project awards, which have leveraged an additional $740 million in matching funds and in-kind contributions from other organizations in the public and private sectors.

Learn more about Clean Cities' strategies and goals in the five-year strategic plan.

National Award Recipients

The U.S. Department of Energy recognizes the accomplishments of Clean Cities coalitions and stakeholders through the Clean Cities Hall of Fame.