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Researchers find consumers compensate for fuel-efficient car by buying bigger second vehicle; losing 60% of fuel economy savings

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An analysis by a team from the University of California, Davis, MIT and Yale suggests that households that buy a fuel-efficient vehicle tend to compensate for that purchase by buying a bigger, more powerful second vehicle. This unintended effect could erode goals of fuel economy standard policies by up to 60%.

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UC Irvine analysis finds renewable hydrogen sector could reach price parity with conventional fuel by mid- to late 2020s

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The California Energy Commission has released a UC Irvine roadmap for the buildout and deployment of renewable hydrogen production plants in California to support policy decisions and inform stakeholders. Scott Samuelsen (2020) Roadmap for the Deployment and Buildout of Renewable Hydrogen Production Plants in California.

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Study urges tougher target for California LCFS; up to 26% by 2030 under high performance scenario

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California can reduce carbon emissions by more than 70 million metric tons by 2030—akin to taking 15 million gasoline-powered cars off the road in one year—by adopting a higher target for its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), according to an analysis released by the UK-based research firm Cerulogy.

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NREL report on electric bus demo at Foothill Transit finds Proterra fuel economy >8x higher than CNG on same line

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A team from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released the second report summarizing the results of the battery-electric bus (BEB) demonstration underway at Foothill Transit in California. The CNG buses had an average fuel economy of 3.89 kWh per mile—17.35 miles per diesel gallon equivalent (mpdge).

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California ARB awards $7M for ultra-low NOx heavy-duty diesel truck demo project with Achates opposed-piston engines

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The California Air Resource Board (CARB) is awarding $7 million to CALSTART to develop a Class 8 truck that will achieve a 90% reduction in NO x along with a 15-20% fuel efficiency improvement. California’s ultra-low NO x emissions standard is 0.02 We also deliver a significant fuel economy improvement.

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Study concludes that automakers tweak vehicle fuel economy to qualify for more favorable treatment; focus on car notches

Green Car Congress

In response to federal policies to boost gas mileage, manufacturers have changed vehicle weights, improved tire-rolling resistance and added aerodynamic features to push fuel-economy rates past government-mandated thresholds. mpg and 22.4 mpg) that lead to large changes in tax liability or the amount of a subsidy. mpg US (12.7

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UC Davis Study Finds That Ultracapacitor-based Micro-Hybrid Systems Can Deliver Substantial Fuel Economy Improvements

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Using a micro-hybrid system featuring carbon/carbon ultracapacitor units as energy storage can result in significant increases in fuel economy over a baseline conventional vehicle, according to a study by Dr. Andrew Burke at UC Davis. Using a motor power of 3 kW reduced the fuel economy improvement on the FUDS by more than 50%.