Non-Petroleum Automotive Transportation

Non-Petroleum Automotive Transportation addresses the broad topic of energy and environmental sustainability for automotive transportation in a balanced, comprehensive, and readable way. Readers will gain a basic understanding of the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of all viable alternatives to fossil fuels, as well as the basics of internal combustion engines. Fuels include ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, biodiesel, biomethane, natural gas, ammonia, dimethyl ether, and synthetic e-Fuels, and methods to calculate the carbon emissions and power output limits for each are covered. The technologies, operation, efficiency, and overall emissions of battery electric, hybrid electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be analyzed and compared with all other vehicle fueling options. Also covered are the fueling and charging infrastructure challenges, energy resource requirements, indirect environmental impacts, safety, and economic ramifications of the transition from gasoline and diesel fuel to electric and renewable fuels. The interdependence of transportation with solar, wind, electric energy storage, and emerging renewable energy sources is discussed. The book concludes with an overview of the effect of incentives and carbon credits on the direction of automotive energy and suggestions for future career and investment opportunities enabled by this revolution.

Sustainability: Energy, Environmental and Financial.- Sustainable Mobility Technologies.- Electric and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Requirements for Mobility.- Ramifications of Transition of Automotive Energy Sector to Electricity.

Carl Arthur (Art) MacCarley, Ph.D., has been researching alternative fuels, electric automobiles, and related applications since the late 1970s. He has served as a Professor of Electrical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, since 1987 (Department Chair 2000-03 and 2010-13, emeritus since 2022), and continues to teach as an adjunct at the Munich University of Applied Science.  His academic specialization is automotive electronics and  control systems.  Between 1996 and 2008, he served as Principal Engineer for Loragen Corporation, a government and commercial automotive research contractor. He continues to represent auto manufacturers and suppliers as a legal expert witness.

Prof. MacCarley’s academic and corporate research has been funded by the US Department of Energy, the California Department of Transportation, Daimler Benz, Fuji-Isuzu, and other automotive manufacturers. He is an associate editor for the SAE and a reviewer for IEEE publications. His extensive practical technical skills in these areas have helped to enhance his teaching and research. He has converted over 30 vehicles to alternative fuel or electric propulsion and developed innovations in electronic fuel injection and alternative drivetrains. He has commuted daily using self-constructed methanol-powered and electric vehicles since 1996.