Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility
Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81116 |
| _version_ | 1811071384055447552 |
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| author | Chao, Alice K |
| author2 | John Heywood. |
| author_facet | John Heywood. Chao, Alice K |
| author_sort | Chao, Alice K |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:50:14Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/81116 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:50:14Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/811162019-04-10T13:24:38Z Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility Chao, Alice K John Heywood. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division. Engineering Systems Division. Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-100). The near-total dependence of the U.S. transportation system on oil has been attributed to exposing consumers to price volatility, increasing the trade imbalance, weakening U.S. foreign policy options, and raising climate change concerns. As a matter of policy to mitigate these issues, the U.S. has promoted fuel diversification and vehicle fuel flexibility in the transportation sector as complementary strategies. However, the search for a fuel that replicates the features of oil has proven elusive to policy makers. With the technological innovation of horizontal hydraulic fracturing that has enabled low cost shale gas production, natural gas has a unique opportunity in potentially breaking the stalemate. This thesis uses an exploratory approach to first identify the underlying factors that create challenges for scaling up alternative fuel and vehicle development. Second, it examines how consumers and policymakers, as two opposing sources of demand, influence and shape their development as well as directions for technological progress. Third, it develops a visual representation using natural gas as a case study to explore some of these issues and how they affect the potential pathways for using natural gas in light duty vehicle applications. This thesis concludes that while there are no clear pathways forward for natural gas in light duty vehicle applications, the transportation sector's sensitivity to changes in fuel feedstock composition enables a number of opportunities for development rather than suppresses it. This thesis also finds that rather than searching for a single fungible alternative fuel, there may be more opportunities for accommodating new energy sources. However, how the transportation system responds and can adapt to them still remains an area for more research. by Alice K. Chao. S.M.in Technology and Policy 2013-09-24T19:43:55Z 2013-09-24T19:43:55Z 2013 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81116 858279342 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 100 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Engineering Systems Division. Chao, Alice K Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title | Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title_full | Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title_short | Investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| title_sort | investigating the strategic impacts of natural gas on transportation fuel diversity and vehicle flexibility |
| topic | Engineering Systems Division. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81116 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chaoalicek investigatingthestrategicimpactsofnaturalgasontransportationfueldiversityandvehicleflexibility |