There are more than a dozen alternative and advanced fuels in production or use today. Use of these fuels is critical to reducing dependence on foreign oil, improving air quality, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the transportation sector.
Alternative Fuels
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel produced from a wide range of vegetable oils and animal fats. Pure biodiesel or biodiesel blended with petroleum diesel can be used to fuel diesel vehicles, providing energy security and emissions and safety benefits. Biodiesel is most commonly available as B20 (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent regular diesel) or B100 (100 percent biodiesel) blends. Biodiesel can be used for all diesel fuel engines from passenger cars to Class-8 trucks.
Electricity
Electricity can be used to power all-electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) directly from the power grid and other off-board electrical power sources.
All-electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, resulting in GHG emission reductions and immense air quality benefits. As production volumes increase and battery technologies continue to advance, prices of light-duty and heavy-duty EVs are anticipated to decrease.
Ethanol
Ethanol is a fuel made from various plant materials, which collectively are called “biomass.” Nearly half of U.S. gasoline contains ethanol in a low-level blend to oxygenate the fuel and reduce air pollution. Ethanol is also increasingly available as E85, an alternative fuel that can be used in flexible fuel vehicles.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is an alternative fuel that can be produced from diverse domestic resources such as fossil fuels, biomass, and water through electrolysis. Producing hydrogen with renewable energy and using it in fuel cell vehicles holds the promise of virtually pollution-free transportation and independence from imported petroleum. The market for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is emerging as the government and industry are working towards the clean, economical, and safe production and distribution of hydrogen.
Natural Gas
Natural Gas is a domestically produced alternative fuel and is readily available to end users through the utility infrastructure. It can produce significantly fewer harmful emissions than gasoline or diesel when used in natural gas vehicles. Renewable Natural Gas (biomethane) is an ultra-clean & ultra-low carbon natural gas alternative that is derived from biogas. As organic waste breaks down it emits methane (raw biogas) that can be processed to meet natural gas pipeline quality specifications. Two forms of natural gas are currently used in vehicles: compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Propane
Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is a clean-burning alternative fuel used to power light-, medium-, and heavy-duty propane vehicles. Propane has a high energy density, providing a comparable driving range to conventional vehicles, and fuel costs are typically lower than gasoline.
Renewable Diesel
Renewable Diesel is a biomass-derived transportation fuel suitable for use in diesel engines. This alternative fuel can be produced from cellulosic biomass materials such as crop residues, wood and sawdust, and switchgrass, and it qualifies as an advanced biofuel. Since it is chemically identical to petroleum diesel fuel, renewable diesel meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification ASTM D975 for petroleum diesel and may be used in existing petroleum pipelines, storage tanks, and diesel engines as a replacement fuel or blended with any amount of petroleum diesel. Nearly all domestically and imported renewable diesel is used in California due to the economic benefits offered under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
2,866,076
gallons of gasoline equivalent reduced in 2022
23,893
tons of GHG emissions reduced in 2022
15,912
zero-emission vehicles registered in C5 territory