Transportation Data Point (September 2021): Fuel Comparisons: School Bus NOx Emissions
Posted by Victoria on Sep. 1, 2021 / Electric Vehicles, Bio Fuels, Propane, CNG, Clean Cities and Communities, Emissions & Fuel Economy, Natural Gas, Transportation Data Points / Subscribe 0
The chart below shows the approximate annual nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions associated with a school bus of each fuel type driving 15,000 miles per year. NOx is a criteria pollutant under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to its negative impact on human health.
Louisiana focused on school bus replacement for distribution of its Volkswagen (VW) Settlement funds in order to reduce NOx emissions from aging diesel school bus fleets. Due to updated emissions regulations, all newer engines produce significantly fewer NOx emissions than older engines. As shown in the chart, propane is one of the lowest NOx-emitting fuel types available for school buses; propane buses are also similar in price to diesel buses and more cost-effective than many other fuel choices. Through the VW Settlement, Louisiana will replace 117 older diesel buses with new propane (LPG) buses, which will result in a lifetime NOx reduction of 137 tons.
While this chart focuses on school bus emissions, the relative NOx emissions will be similar for other vehicle types.
Data
We used the 2020 version of the AFLEET tool, which is a tool created by Argonne National Labs to estimate the emissions of alternative fuel vehicles. These calculations show the emissions for new school buses operating 15,000 miles annually and using the default fuel economies for each fuel type. The location assumption for these vehicles is East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; the location matters for this calculation because AFLEET accounts for the local electricity grid mix in its calculations, as well as emissions associated with transporting fuel. We also assumed that the CNG and LPG buses are using the Ultra-Low NOx certified engines.
0 Comments