What is Clean Energy for Transportation?

Broadly speaking, using clean energy in the transportation sector reduces the amount of petroleum consumed by using fuel more efficiently and/or by displacing conventional petroleum fuel with biofuels, typically ethanol (produced from corn) or biodiesel (produced from vegetable oil).

Why Use Clean Energy for Transportation?

The United States uses nearly 20 million barrels of petroleum per day and is reliant on other countries for over half of this fuel. The majority of this fuel is consumed by our burgeoning transportation sector.

Using clean energy technologies for transportation reduces the amount of non-renewable petroleum we use, makes our country less dependent on foreign oil, helps the environment, keeps money in our local economy, and saves us money each time we go to the pump!

How Can You Use Clean Energy for Transportation?

Buy a Fuel-Efficient Vehicle
The next time you are looking to buy a vehicle, consider buying the most fuel-efficient vehicle that will suit your needs on a daily basis. Fuel-efficient models come in all shapes and sizes, so you don't have to sacrifice on utility. Buying a fuel-efficient model can result in thousands of dollars saved over the course of a vehicle's lifetime, as well as reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gases. An outstanding resource to help you on your vehicle purchase is the Environmental Protection Agency's www.fueleconomy.gov website.

Better yet, consider whether it would be possible to get by without a vehicle altogether!

Don't Idle Your Engine
Conserving fuel that would otherwise be idled away represents an outstanding opportunity to reduce energy use, emissions, engine wear and tear, and money! Hybrid vehicles reduce engine idle by switching over battery usage when the vehicle is at a stand-still.

Fleet vehicles are good candidates for auxiliary power units (APUs). Depending on the model selected, these products can provide heat only, or heat, air conditioning, and electric power when a vehicle's engine would normally idle.

A simpler option is to just simply turn your vehicle off when it will be idling for an extended period of time.

Use Biofuels
Any unmodified diesel engine is capable of running on biodiesel, a renewable fuel typically made from soybean oil. In Michigan, fleet and private vehicles have been running on B-20 (a blend of 20% biodiesel / 80% petroleum diesel) for years now.

Or, consider driving a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV). These vehicles are capable of running on E-85 (a blend of 85% ethanol / 15% gasoline). Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from corn.

To learn more about biofuels, the vehicles that use them, and where you can buy them, please visit the website for our Clean Cities program.