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Statutory Requirements for Alternative Fuel Use
The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) offers information on the following statutory requirements for alternative fuel use:
- EISA Section 142 Alternative Fuel Consumption
- EPAct 2005 Section 701 Alternative Fuel Use in Dual-Fueled Vehicles
- EISA Section 246 Alternative Fuel Infrastructure
- Applicability
FEMP Resources and Best Practices
FEMP offers resources and best practices for alternative fuel use:
- EISA Section 142 Alternative Fuel Consumption
- EPAct 2005 Section 701 Alternative Fuel Use in Dual-Fueled Vehicles
- EISA Section 246 Alternative Fuel Infrastructure.
Optimizing Cost-Effective Alternative Fuel Use
One effective strategy to reduce petroleum consumption is to displace petroleum use with alternative fuels, which include (but are not limited to): E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol and gasoline), neat (100%) biodiesel, neat (100%) renewable diesel (R100), hydrogen, CNG, LNG, and LPG. Each gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of alternative fuel used in agency vehicles provides the equivalent (or higher for electricity) GGE reduction in petroleum use.
As part of this strategy, fleet managers should maximize deployment of vehicles capable of using alternative fuel or biodiesel blends (AFVs and diesel vehicles) at those locations that have existing alternative fuel or biodiesel infrastructure or are candidates for new infrastructure:
- EVs, including BEVs and PHEVs, and their charging infrastructure are suitable for most fleet locations, especially those without access to other alternative fuels.
- AFVs that use E85, CNG, hydrogen, and other alternative fuels that require dedicated infrastructure should be placed at fleet locations where alternative fuel is available or at high-use locations where alternative fuel sites are planned in the near-term.
- Section 701 of EPAct 2005 requires Federal agencies to use only alternative fuel in its dual-fueled AFVs, except where the vehicles have received a waiver from DOE due to the local unavailability of alternative fuel or fuel that is unreasonably more expensive than gasoline. This means, for example, that if E85 infrastructure is available at or near a fleet location, fleet E85 FFVs operating at that location are required to refuel solely with E85 using that infrastructure.
- Biodiesel blends, which require dedicated infrastructure but can be used in conventional diesel vehicles, are ideal for locations with high diesel fuel use.
To maximize petroleum reduction, agencies should support strategies to increase alternative fuel use by:
- Acquiring AFVs in or near areas with existing or planned alternative refueling sites (agencies should ensure alternative fuel infrastructure, including charging infrastructure and the associated fuel necessary to support dedicated AFVs, is in place before accepting delivery of vehicles), and by running dual-fueled vehicles on alternative fuel
- Installing alternative fuel infrastructure (including charging infrastructure) in fleet locations with the highest AFV concentrations that use that fuel type
- Communicating and coordinating with nearby fleets (both public and private sector) to aggregate demand for alternative fuel.
Learn more about the fourth core principle of sustainable fleet management—optimizing cost-effective alternative fuel use.