Business Logistics 420 Public Transportation Fall 2001

1
Business Logistics 420Public TransportationFall
2001

• Lectures 15
• Policy Issues II Public Transportation and
  Energy Conservation

2
Lecture Objectives

• Provide an overview of energy consumption trends
  and transportations significance in energy use
  and conservation
• Describe options for reducing transportation
  sectors consumption of energy
• Evaluate public transits energy efficiency and
  potential contribution to energy conservation

3
The Big Picture

• United States accounts for about 30 percent of
  the worlds energy consumption
• The transportation sector in the US accounts for
  28 percent of all energy consumption and about 62
  percent of petroleum consumption

4
Energy Consumption by Mode
5
The Transportation Energy Problem

• Energy consumption by the transportation sector
  has increased and is likely to continue to
  increase due to
• increasing population
• increased vehicle miles of travel per person
• Energy supply, especially petroleum, is finite,
  and increasingly more costly to obtain

6
The Transportation Energy Problem (Continued)

• Periodic supply/demand imbalances have caused
  shortages and/or price spikes
• 1973-74 Arab Oil Embargo
• 1980-81 Unrest in the Middle East
• 1991 Gulf War
• 2000 OPEC Supply Controls
• Dependence on foreign oil dictates national
  defense policy and international political
  strategies

7
The Transportation Energy Problem (Continued)

• Energy consumption directly related to air
  quality issues
• Domestic energy production has environmental
  consequences
• drilling
• pipelines (spills and construction disruptions)
• ocean shipping hazards (Alaska, e.g., Exxon
  Valdez spill)

8
How to Achieve Goal of Reduced Energy Consumption
by Transportation Sector

• Reduce overall demand for travel by all modes
• Shift travel to more energy efficient modes,
  e.g., transit, walking, bike, carpool/vanpool
• Improve efficiency of modes
• To save petroleum, shift to other fuels

9
Reduce Overall Travel

• Increase travel costs
• fuel price increase
• taxes on fuel or other aspects of travel
• Restrict auto travel, auto-free zones, limit days
  of travel
• Promote non-travel options such as telecommuting

10
Shift to More Efficient Modes

• Which modes are most efficient -- great debate?
• How to encourage/require shifts
• regulatory requirements -- negative
• incentives -- positive

11
Increase Efficiency of Existing Modes

• Particular focus on automobile
• Choices
• Market driven
• Regulation of auto manufacturers

12
Conserve Petroleum by Shifting to other Fuels

• Electric Vehicles
• Natural Gas
• More obscure liquid fuels
• gasohol (ethanol from agricultural products)
• peanut oil
• shale oil
• Again -- how?
• Market forces
• Regulations/taxes

13
Major US Policy Choices

• Fuel efficient automobiles/light trucks
• Fuel cost increase
• Carpool/Vanpool
• Transit

14
Requiring Fuel Efficient Motor Vehicles -- The
Most Effective Strategy So Far

• Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE)
• Implemented in 1978
• Now 27.5 mph for autos
• About 20.2 for light truck/SUV exemption
• Current Issues
• Raising CAFE for autos
• Raising light truck/SUV to same standard as auto

15

• From NHTSA 1998 Annual Report on Automotive Fuel
  Economy Program http//www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/caf
  enhtsa.html

16

• From NHTSA 1998 Annual Report on Automotive Fuel
  Economy Program http//www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/caf
  enhtsa.html

17

• From NHTSA 1998 Annual Report on Automotive Fuel
  Economy Program http//www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/caf
  enhtsa.html

18
Increasing Fuel Costs to Increase Cost of Driving

• Politically unpopular
• Not likely to work unless very large increase --
  travel is gasoline price inelastic
• Issues
• impact on economy -- reduced auto production,
  reduced employment
• reduced savings rate -- shift income to pay for
  fuel
• equity concerns -- impact on low income drivers

19
Shift to More Efficient Modes

• Question -- Which modes are more efficient?
• How do you encourage/require the shift?

20
Does Transit Save Energy?

• Any analysis of energy efficiency of
  transportation modes depends on many assumptions
  and estimates
• Congressional Budget Office attempted an analysis
  of various transit modes compared to the private
  auto (Urban Transportation and Energy The
  Potential Savings of Different Modes, 1977)

21
CBO Study

• Some of the data is now dated, but the
  methodology remains valid
• Purpose of the study was to guide Congress on
  policy decisions related to transit investment
  and energy conservation

22
Comprehensive Framework for Energy Use Analysis

• Energy Intensiveness
• Line Haul Energy
• Modal Energy
• Program Energy

23
Energy Intensiveness

• Most basic, and typical measure of energy use
• Includes
• Propulsion energy per vehicle mile (mpg)
• Average vehicle occupancy

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Comparison of Modes Using Energy Intensiveness
Figure

• Automobile
• 20 mpg
• 1.5 passengers on average
• Result -- 30 passenger miles per gallon
• Bus
• 4 mpg
• 20 passengers on average
• Result -- 80 passenger miles per gallon

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Energy Intensiveness Issues

• Actual utilization vs capacity
• Bus Example
• Full bus 60 psgrs x 4 mpg 240 pmpg
• Average bus 20 psgrs x 4 mpg 80 pmpg
• Auto Example
• Full car 6 psgrs x 20 mpg 120 pmpg
• Average car 1.5 psgrs x 20 mpg 30 pmpg

26
Line Haul Energy

• Includes Energy Intensiveness plus
• Station and maintenance energy consumption
• Construction energy
• Vehicle manufacturing energy
• Goal is to include the non-vehicle operations
  energy consumption, but hard to do
• Reduces the energy efficiency of rail transit

27
Modal Energy

• Includes energy intensiveness and line haul
  energy plus
• Mode used for access (e.g., auto to rail station)
• Fraction of trip devoted to access
• Circuity of mode -- straight line distance vs
  actual distance traveled

28

• Example of Circuity back haul to rail station

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Program Energy

• Includes energy intensiveness, line haul, modal
  energy plus
• Source of new patronage
• trips not previously taken
• Resulting total program energy is what CBO says
  should be used to evaluate policies to encourage
  mode shifts

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CBO Results

• Vanpools are the most efficient mode
• No empty back haul
• High energy intensiveness (15 psgrs x 15 mpg
  225 pmpg)
• Dial a bus is the least energy efficient
• Circuity
• Low energy intensiveness (3 psgrs x 3 mpg 9
  pmpg)

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CBO Results (Continued)

• New heavy rail systems efficient when measured in
  terms of energy intensiveness but not overall
  program energy
• Reasons for low rating of heavy rail
• Significant percentage of total trip still by
  auto
• Circuity
• Most new patrons taken from other energy
  efficient modes -- bus, carpool/vanpool

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Study Questions

• Does transit save energy? Present your answer in
  terms of the evaluation methodology proposed by
  the Congressional Budget Office.
• What are the major policies considered by the US
  over the past 25 years as ways to reduce energy
  consumption in the transportation sector? Which
  ones have worked?

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Study Questions (Continued)

• According to the Congressional Budget Office
  study, new heavy rail transit systems save very
  little energy. Why? What mode does that study
  conclude is best as far as energy conservation?
  Why?