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Tool Spotlight: AFLEET

Posted by Clean Fuels Intern on Sep. 25, 2026  /  Case Studies, Emissions & Fuel Economy  /  Subscribe 0

Argonne National Laboratory offers a wide array of tools for users to evaluate fuel use. The Alternative Fuel Life-Cycle Environmental and Economic Transportation (AFLEET) is a suite of tools available for the Clean Cities Coalition and others to conduct analyses of alternative fuels, advanced vehicles, and infrastructure. Although the name and description seem intimidating, the tools are more user-friendly than one may think.

AFLEET tools cover conventional fuels such as gas and diesel, and hybrid and electric. They also have analysis for non-conventional fuels such as biodiesel, renewable diesel, ethanol, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The wide array of fuels available for analysis and the accessibility of the web tools make this a great data source for consumers.  

One tool is a downloadable spreadsheet that includes multiple calculators for vehicle use and fuel type. We conducted an analysis using this tool on diesel vehicles currently operating in our state. Using the data, we evaluated the vehicles using the total cost of ownership (TCO), comparing different fuel types and the total lifetime emissions. We used buses, passenger cars, and trucks, for example.

In our dataset, there are 291 passenger cars with an average model year of 1998 and an average annual vehicle mileage of 12,400 miles on the road. There are 17,707 trucks, both light and heavy duty, with an average model year of 1996 and an average total annual mileage of 11,400 miles. We also looked at diesel school buses, which can harm children’s lung health, and found that there are 816 diesel school buses currently, with an average model year of 1995 and an average annual vehicle mileage of 15,000 miles.

Using this information, we found the following:

Comparison of the Efficiency of Trucks in Louisiana According to Fuel Type

Total lifetime pollutants (lb/lifetime) for all 17,707 diesel trucks analyzed. 

Using the model's average year, we evaluated the vehicle's total cost, fuel economy by fuel type, and average maintenance and repair cost per mile to maintain that vehicle. We also evaluated the diesel truck model's lifetime emissions to show the importance of investing in alternative fuel types.

Comparison of Passenger Cars Efficiency According to Fuel Type 

Total lifetime pollutants (lb/lifetime) of all 219 diesel passenger cars in operation.  

We did the same analysis for passenger cars still operating on diesel in Louisiana. We once again see that diesel is producing large amounts of pollutants over a lifetime. 

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