The Future of Transportation Energy Systems in the United States: Technoeconomic and Environmental Analysis

The U.S. transportation sector consumes about 30% of our total primary energy use and contributes the same to the national greenhouse gas emissions inventory, while relying heavily on petroleum fuels across applications. Electrification of vehicles via batteries in plug-in vehicles and hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles provide options to diversify energy sources for on road transportation applications. Biofuels and e-fuels are more suitable for non-road transportation applications, such as aviation, rail and marine. This presentation will provide detailed analysis of each fuel/powertrain technology option across major transportation applications. The presentation will explore the tradeoff between total cost of vehicle ownership and the environmental impacts of each fuel/powertrain system. The presentation will identify the viable technology option for each transportation application, the key cost drivers, and the associated environmental impacts, as well as the technical challenges that require further research and development.

Dr. Amgad Elgowainy is a Distinguished Fellow and Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1994. He is currently the Director of the Technoeconomic Analysis and Infrastructure Assessment Department at Argonne National Laboratory. His department focuses on engineering process modeling, environmental life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis of energy systems. Dr. Elgowainy authored and coauthored more than 200 technical publications and granted 10 U.S. patents. His models and publications are widely used and recognized globally.