| Alternative Fuels | Alternative Fuel Vehicles | Fueling and Infrastructure |
| Regulations and Incentives | Local Success Stories |

Alternative fuels and vehicles form the cornerstone of the Clean Cities program. Clean Cities organizations across the country have worked with their public and private stakeholders to deploy more than 500,000 alternative fuel vehicles, displacing more than 400 million gallons of petroleum fuels. Alternative fuels are also a valuable tool for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases, protecting public health, and contributing to economic development. Learn more about the benefits of alternative fuels and vehicles.

The alternative fuels described here are those defined by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and subsequent legislation - including biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, methanol, natural gas, and propane/LPG. Alternative fuel vehicles are capable of operating on these non-petroleum fuels. 

Check out the Alternative Fuels pages for specifics on each of the alternative fuels - fuel properties, their chemical makeup, benefits, current applications, and emerging markets. Information on Alternative Fuel Vehicles is also available — what vehicles are available, their specifications, applications, and performance. Resources include light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, aftermarket conversions, and maintenance of AFVs.

National Clean Cities Program strategies:

• Providing information on the benefits and availability of alternative fuels and vehicles.
• Targeting niche markets that are well suited for alternative fuels, such as airports, delivery vehicles, shuttle services, municipalities, transit agencies, and school districts..
• Building more alternative fueling infrastructure.
• Developing local and state incentives for the use of alternative fuels.

To develop new AFV initiatives, Clean Cities plans to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies and Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies programs.

The U.S. Department of Energy provides extensive resources on alternative fuels, including tools to compare fuel properties, industry contacts, and a database of thousands of publications.

Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition strategies:
The Coalition’s approach to developing alternative fuel markets recognizes that each of these alternative fuels is a viable option for achieving the goals of petroleum displacement and air pollution reductions, and that no one alternative serves all needs or vehicle applications.

The role of the Coalition is to support the development of markets for those alternative fuel options that meet the needs of its members and stakeholders. This work includes assisting fleets with identifying the most appropriate choice for each vehicle application and facilitating the development of the associated refueling infrastructure. While education will be provided about all alternatives, the Coalition will focus its efforts on those alternatives of most interest to the region, currently natural gas and biodiesel, while watching for opportunities with other fuels. The use of alternative fuels in on-road applications will continue to receive significant attention, but the Coalition will expand its efforts to increase the use of alternative fuels in non-road applications, such as marine, construction equipment, and generators, where appropriate. This expanded market will assist in creating greater demand and market efficiencies. Additionally, the use of alternative fuels in these non-road sources will likely provide significant air quality benefits due to current emissions standards which are not as stringent as those for on-road vehicles.

The following strategies will guide the work of the Coalition in this area:

• Provide educational information via Coalition website, including local success stories.
• Respond to requests for information, research and technical assistance from members and stakeholders.
• Make presentations at appropriate events. Identify key groups that would benefit most from these presentations.
• Host workshops for members, stakeholders, fleets and the public. Content of the workshops will vary depending on need, with some addressing all fuels and all applications, while others may be more fuel or market specific. 
• Facilitate development of alternative fuel stations. Key roles include developing partnerships for building fuel station networks and creating demand to support the stations. Explore opportunities for royalties on the sale of alternative fuels.
• Promote alternative fuels as a component of sustainability plans being developed throughout the state.
• Continue to watch for grant opportunities to support vehicle purchases and fuel station development.