The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that nearly ½ million alternatively fueled vehicles (AFVs) in use during 2001. By 2002, nearly 520,000 are expected to be in operation. The rate of growth in AFVs on the road has slowed since 2000. Between 1998 and 2000, manufacturers began mass-marketing "E-85" vehicles (vehicles that can use any combination of regular gasoline and fuel with an ethanol content as high as 85%). Also, the rate of growth in compressed natural gas vehicles slowed after 2000. AFVs represent approximately 0.2 percent of total registered on-road vehicles. EIA's estimates of AFVs "in use" include only estimates of E-85 vehicles in fleets, where E-85 fuel is most likely available.

Although propane powers over half of all AFVs (276,000 in 2001), the number of propane vehicles has grown quite slowly since the early 1990s, when many trucks were converted to operate on propane for both energy security and fuel pricesreasons. Virtually all AFVs since 1998 have been "original equipment manufacture" vehicles instead of conversions.

The number of electric vehicles in use grew approximately 50% between 2000 and 2001, though the number is quite small–about 18,000. A few new liquefied natural gas (LNG) heavy-duty trucks continue to be made. No new methanol vehicles have been produced in a few years, and the number in use declined from roughly 10,000 in 2000 to 8,000 in 2001.

Propane is the predominant fuel for AFVs in all 4 regions of the country, being most prominent in the Midwest and South. Over half of all E-85 vehicles are used in the Midwest, near the "Corn Belt." Corn is the primary feedstock for fuel ethanol. CNG vehicles are most highly concentrated in the West (principally California and Nevada), followed by the Northeast. California and Texas dominate the States using AFVs, with 73,000 and 45,000, respectively. Combined, these 2 states use nearly 1/4 of all AFVs in use in the Nation. Roughly ½ of California AFVs use propane, while 2/3 of Texas AFVs do.

About 80 percent of the AFVs are "light-duty" vehicles; i.e., those whose gross vehicle weight is less than 8,500 pounds. Light-duty vehicles dominate every fuel type except LNG, which is used heavily in heavy-duty vehicles. E-85 vehicles are exclusively light duty, while electric vehicles are nearly so.

Over 60 percent of all AFVs in use are in the private sector–nearly 330,000 out of an expected AFV on road population of nearly 520,000 in 2002. Over 2/3 of private sector AFVs use propane. State and local government use a mix of alternate fuels. Propane is used in 45% of State and local AFVs, followed by CNG (31 percent) and E-85 (10 percent). In contrast, nearly 2/3 of Federal government AFVs use ethanol, followed by CNG (30 percent). State and local governments use nearly twice as many AFVs as does the Federal government.

Total "replacement fuel" (alternate fuels plus the oxygenate portion of gasoline) has declined slightly since 1999. However, this is largely due to the fact that when ethanol replaces MTBE as an oxygenate in gasoline, less ethanol is needed per gallon of finished gasoline. Replacement fuel consumption in 2001 is estimated to be 4.4 billion gasoline-equivalent gallons (GEGs), down from 4.6 billion GEGs in 2000. Total ethanol consumption was 1.12 billion GEGs. E-85 consumption was only 0.009 billion GEGs; virtually all fuel ethanol is used as a gasoline oxygenate additive.

Pure alternate fuel consumption amounted to 0.38 billion GEGs in 2001, or 9 percent of total replacement fuel consumption. Propane accounted for nearly 65 percent of alternate fuel consumption. Propane provides a higher percentage of alternate fuel consumption than its fraction of AFVs would suggest, for two reasons. First, many propane vehicles were built because it was economically advantageous to use propane compared with gasoline. Second, propane tends to be used in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to a greater degree than CNG or E-85. Regionally, alternate fuel consumption generally tracks regional distribution of AFVs, exaggerated by propane use characteristics just described. The split between light- and heavy-duty alternate fuel consumption reflects the lower fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles, and, in some cases, the fact that heavy-duty "over-the-road" vehicles travel more miles per year than do light-duty vehicles.

As a fraction of the total on-road motor fuel pool, replacement fuels contribute only 2.6 percent in 2001, marginally below the amount contributed in the past 3 years. Alternate fuel's share of the total on-road motor vehicle fuel pool peaked in 1997 at 2.8 percent.

Data on ATF refueling sites (formerly shown in Table 5) can be obtained from the Alternative Fuels Data Center (http://www.afdc.doe.gov/refuel/state_tot.shtml).

Table 1. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use in the United States, by Fuel, 1993-2002

Table 2. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use in the United States, by Fuel and Census Region, 2000-2002

Table 3. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use, by State, 2000-2002

Table 4. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use, by State and Fuel Type, 2000

Table 6. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use in the United States, by Fuel and Weight Category, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Table 7. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use by U.S. Private Entities, by Fuel and Weight Category, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Table 8. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use by State and Local Governments, by Fuel and Weight Category, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Table 9. Estimated Number of Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Use by the U.S. Federal Government, by Fuel and Weight Category, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Table 10. Estimated Consumption of Vehicle Fuels in the United States 1993-2002

Table 11. Estimated Share of Alternative Transportation Fuel Consumption, by Region, 2000-2002

Table 12. Estimated Consumption of Alternative Transportation Fuels in the United States, by Fuel and Vehicle Weight, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Table 13. Estimated Consumption of Alternative Transportation Fuels in the United States, by Vehicle Ownership, 1998, 2000, and 2002

Fred Mayes
fred.mayes@eia.doe.gov
Phone: (202) 287-1750