Tools, Analysis, and Publications
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This page provides information about measuring greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, the contribution of transportation sources to total emissions of greenhouse gases, and solutions for reducing emissions from transportation.
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation
The following resources describe inventories of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and key issues about how these emissions are measured.
- Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Gasoline and Diesel Fuel | PDF Version (3 pp, 28K, EPA420-F-05-001, February 2005)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle | PDF Version (6 pp, 42K, EPA420-F-05-004, February 2005)
- Calculating Emissions of Greenhouse Gases: Key Facts and Figures | PDF Version (5 pp, 41K, EPA420-F-05-003, February 2005)
- Metrics for Expressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Carbon Equivalents and Carbon Dioxide Equivalents | PDF Version (3 pp, 30K, EPA420-F-05-002, February 2005)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector:1990-2003 Information to help transportation agencies, the transportation industry, researchers, and the public better understand the connection between transportation and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
- Executive Summary
- Full report (PDF) (68 pp, 1.2MB, EPA420-R-06-003, March 2006)
- Update of Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for On-Highway Vehicles (PDF) (39 pp, 683K, EPA420-P-04-016, November 2004) Report on Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for use in the development of the mobile source emissions factor model MOVES.
- Emissions of Nitrous Oxide from Highway Mobile Sources: Comments on the Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, 1990-1996 (March 1998) (PDF) (38 pp, 139K, EPA420-R-98-009, August 1998) This report summarizes the comments received on the Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. It includes an analysis of the data sources and methods used in the development of the Draft Inventory and efforts to improve future national inventory development.
Transportation Solutions
Approaches for reducing greenhouse gases from transportation include using low greenhouse gas fuels, improving vehicle technologies, and reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled. In combination, these strategies can reduce transportation-related emissions significantly.
For information on system approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption that combine technology, fuels, and travel demand management, see:
- Full Report: A Wedge Analysis of the U.S. Transportation Sector (PDF) (23 pp, 535K, EPA420-R-07-007, April 2007) A study of the U.S. transportation sector that provides an integrative analysis of system approaches.
- Fact Sheet: A Wedge Analysis of the U.S. Transportation Sector | PDF Version (6 pp, 1.6M, EPA420-F-07-049, October 2007)
Alternative Fuels and Renewable Fuels pages provide information on the use of environmentally beneficial alternative fuels and vehicles, including information about fuels such as E85 ethanol, biodiesel, and others. For more information, see:
For a comparison of the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from these fuels, see:
For information on vehicle technologies that can lower greenhouse gas emissions and save on fuel costs, see:
- Plug-in hybrid vehicles | PDF Version (2 pp, 89K, EPA420-F-07-048, October 2007)
- Electric Vehicles | PDF Version (2 pp, 68K, EPA420-F-00-034, March 2002)
- Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
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Fact Sheets:
- EPA Staff Technical Report: Cost and Effectiveness Estimates of Technologies Used to Reduce Light-Duty Vehicle Carbon Dioxide Emissions (PDF) (82 pp, 883K, EPA420-F-08-008, March 2008)
- Report: A Study of Potential Effectiveness of Carbon Dioxide Reducing Vehicle Technologies. This report, prepared for EPA by the engineering firm Ricardo under subcontract to Perrin Quarles Associates, Inc., provides a detailed assessment of the carbon dioxide emissions reduction potential of a large number of conventional vehicle technology packages. Also included is a peer review of the report, as well as a presentation given by EPA to the National Research Council's Committee on Fuel Economy of Light-Duty Vehicles, which provides contextual background for this report.
- Revised Full Report (PDF) (126 pp, 4.7M, EPA420-R-08-004a, June 2008)
- Peer Review (PDF) (34 pp, 317K, EPA420-S-08-002, January 2008)
- Presentation to NRC Committee regarding the Report (PDF) (13 pp, 54K)
- New Powertrain Technologies and Their Projected Costs (Interim Report), Executive Summary (7 pp, 130K, EPA420-S-05-013, October 2005) and Full report (81 pp, 900K, EPA420-R-05-012, October 2005)
- An interim report that projects the cost effectiveness, from a consumer perspective, of four technology strategies capable of improving new personal vehicle fuel economy over the next decade: packages of individual gasoline vehicle technologies, advanced diesel engines, gasoline electric hybrids, and diesel electric hybrids.
- Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through Present
- This report provides data on the fuel economy and technology characteristics of new light-duty vehicles (cars, vans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and pickup trucks) for model years 1975 through present.
- Clean Automotive Technology
- EPA's research in advanced technologies for reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency in vehicles.
- The National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory
- EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory conducts research on clean automotive technology and works to develop national regulatory programs to reduce air pollution from light-duty cars and trucks, heavy-duty trucks and buses, nonroad engines and vehicles, and their fuels.
- Technical Reports:
For information on policies and strategies that encourage reductions in vehicle miles traveled, see: