Transportation Energy Futures Project

The Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project examines underexplored greenhouse gas-abatement and oil-savings opportunities by consolidating transportation energy knowledge, conducting advanced analysis, and exploring additional opportunities for sound strategic action.

Led by NREL, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, the project's primary goal is to provide analysis to accompany the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's long-term transportation energy planning by addressing high-priority questions and informing domestic decisions about transportation energy strategies, priorities, and investments.

Research and analysis were conducted with an eye toward short-term actions that support long-term energy goals. The project looks beyond technology to examine each key question in the context of the marketplace, consumer behavior, industry capabilities, and infrastructure. More information on the project can be found in the TEF fact sheet, analysis snapshot, annotated overview presentation, and slides-only overview.

Transportation Energy Futures icon

Publications

The project is organized in four research areas: light-duty vehicles, non-light-duty vehicles, fuels, and transportation demand. Findings are detailed in a series of nine reports.

Light-Duty Vehicles

Non-Cost Barriers to Consumer Adoption of New Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Vehicle Technology Deployment Pathways: An Examination of Timing and Investment Constraints, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Non-Light-Duty Vehicles

Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvement Beyond the Light-Duty Sector, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Fuels

Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Expansion: Costs, Resources, Production Capacity, and Retail Availability for Low-Carbon Scenarios, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Projected Biomass Utilization for Fuels and Power in a Mature Market, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Transportation Demand

Effects of the Built Environment on Transportation: Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Other Factors, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Effects of Travel Reduction and Efficient Driving on Transportation: Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

Freight Transportation Modal Shares: Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future, DOE Technical Report (2013) 

TEF is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy , NREL, and Argonne National Laboratory. The project benefited from the input provided by a steering committee that included some of the nation's foremost experts on transportation energy from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, academic research institutions, and industry associations.

Webcast

This May 2, 2013, webcast outlines the key results from the Transportation Energy Futures study.

View a recording of the webinar.

Read a transcript of the webinar.

Contact

[email protected]

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Last Updated April 21, 2025