On the Go: An On-Road Transportation Podcast with Clean Cities National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the Clean Cities Coalition Network

Listen to this episode of On the Go to hear how technical assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) empowers Clean Cities coalitions to engage local fleets and fuel providers around deploying alternative fuel vehicles and fueling stations. Hear lab and coalition staff share their stories about how technical assistance provides coalitions and their stakeholders with problem-solving support to overcome obstacles and make informed choices. This episode features John Gonzales from NREL, Lori Clark from Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities, Rita Ebert from Greater Long Island Clean Cities, and Steve Trowbridge from Drive Clean Colorado. 

In the latest episode of On the Go, NREL researchers Andrew Meintz and Jesse Bennett discuss technologies that connect electric vehicles to buildings, the electric grid, and other infrastructure. Vehicle-to-X connectivity includes vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-building (V2B), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration. Andrew and Jesse share applications of V2X, the near-term outlook for these uses, technical challenges, and barriers that will need to be overcome for broader use of V2X. 

Tune in to hear alternative fuel experts discuss the current market status of ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel, including vehicle usage, prices, and availability. In this episode of On the Go, Kristi Moriarty from NREL and Scott Irwin from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discuss current production and consumption of these fuels. They share insights into the increase in stations offering ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel, expanded production of renewable diesel, and how feedstock prices impact the biofuel market.

Engaging community members from the very beginning of project planning can result in solutions designed for unique local needs, make technology solutions more impactful, and help ensure projects have more equitable outcomes. In this episode of On the Go, listen to NREL social scientists Paty Romero Lankao and Nicole Rosner discuss how community engagement can improve transportation projects. They share recommended strategies and best practices for identifying the people and organizations to include, determining the right priorities, and building relationships.

Tune in to listen to electric vehicle (EV) deployment experts talk about their work building out Oklahoma’s charging network. This episode features Eric Pollard from the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, which houses Central Oklahoma Clean Cities, and Leon Ashford from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. They share insights from the ChargeOK program, which used VW settlement funds to invest $3.1 million in EV charging infrastructure, resulting in 90 new DC fast and dual port level two stations. In 2020 alone, charging ports increased by 122%.

Tune in to listen to NREL researchers talk about their work to make air travel more sustainable and to learn about the benefits of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), how it is produced and distributed, and who is currently using it. SAF is a near-term option to help decarbonize the aviation industry because SAF is produced from renewable feedstocks and has a substantially lower carbon footprint than petroleum-based jet fuel. Learn more in a recent report from NREL, U.S. Airport Infrastructure and Sustainable Aviation Fuel: https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/U.S.-airport-infrastructure-and-sustainable-aviation-fuel.pdf