Energy Futures

Welcome to the Energy Futures Research Program

An Energy Modeling and Analysis Program of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis

Upcoming Events

STEPS+ Spring 2024 Research Symposium & Deep-dives (Energy Futures)

May 15-16, 2024

UC Davis, ARC Ballrooms

STEPS+ Fall 2024 Research Symposium and STEPS+ BOA meeting

Nov 13-14, 2024

UC Davis, ARC Ballrooms

More Events

News

City illustration with cars and buildings

Blog: Electrifying Transportation and Shifting Travel Patterns can Cut CO2 while Saving the US Trillions of Dollars

by Lew Fulton
March 11, 2024

Widespread adoption of electric vehicles—combined with a shift in travel modes towards more walking, cycling, and transit use—can help ease the climate crisis, improve quality of life, and save Americans money. A key to shifting travel modes to less automobile use is making biking, walking, and transit safer and more convenient by redirecting infrastructure investments and making urban areas more compact.

ITS-Davis students and researchers to participate in nearly 70 sessions at TRB 2024

January 09, 2024

The TRB 103rd Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, DC from January 7th through 11th, 2024. Many ITS-Davis representatives will be participating in the meetings, sessions, and exhibits. Their presentations with session number, title, date, time, presentation topics, and authors are listed here: ITS-Davis at TRB 2024.

Blog: As Countries Set Ambitious Targets for Electric Vehicle Sales, More International Trade and Domestic Investment Is Needed

by Hong Yang and Lew Fulton
December 22, 2023

In an effort to curb emissions, governments in major vehicle markets are proposing and adopting requirements that electric vehicles (EVs) make up a certain percentage of new vehicle sales in coming years. This week the Government of Canada announced EV sales targets of 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035 for light-duty vehicles, similar to the goals the United States announced last year of 50% by 2030 and 67% by 2032.

Blog: Putting the Brakes on Global Growth in SUVs Would Curb Emissions, Improve Safety, Reduce Critical Mineral Use, and Address Inequities

by Pierpaolo Cazzola
December 09, 2023

On the path to global transportation sustainability, electric vehicles (EVs) are making inroads, but larger cars with bigger carbon footprints are hampering climate progress. The right policies can correct our course.

Transportation and Climate Blog: Making Policy in the Absence of Certainty: Biofuels and Land Use Change

by by Colin Murphy, UC Davis Policy Institute, STEPS+ Energy Futures
October 30, 2023

Biofuels are an important tool to help decarbonize our transportation system, and their role will likely grow in coming years. New tax credits authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act are being finalized; these would offer significant incentives for the biofuel alternatives to conventional jet fuel, so-called “Sustainable Aviation Fuels” or SAF. But it’s not always clear how sustainable these fuels truly are, or whether they offer a significant GHG advantage over petroleum.

NCST Webinar: Insights from the New End of Life EV Battery Policy Simulator

September 18, 2023

Watch recording here: https://youtu.be/TxjJXaTa2fA 

Transportation and Climate Blog: Supporting California’s Move to Zero-Emission Vehicles by Creating a Viable, Large-Scale Fuel-Cell Vehicle and Hydrogen System

by Lew Fulton
June 14, 2023

California is marching ahead with firm rules now in place for both light-duty and medium/heavy-duty vehicles to transition to zero emission stock by 2045. The State is requiring that all new vehicles sold from 2035 onward be “zero-emission vehicles” (ZEVs)—battery electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles. While battery electric vehicles currently dominate ZEV sales and discussions of the zero-emissions future, fuel-cell vehicles are expected to play a key role, especially in truck and bus fleets and some households.

Blog: Cutting US road sector GHG emissions by 90% or more by 2050 takes both ZEVs and low-carbon fuels

by Lewis Fulton, Marshall Miller, and Qian Wang
April 30, 2023

Big reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector are needed to limit the magnitude of climate change impacts. Understanding what kinds of policy and market dynamics are at play can help us meet national goals. Our recent study shows that there is an interplay between policy, vehicle types, and fuel sources, and that early investment in zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) could yield big savings and big reductions in GHG emissions, by 2050. Low-carbon fuels for non-electric vehicles will also need to play an important role.

Powering Zero Emission Transitions: ITS-Davis Launches California-India Partnership

November 10, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – At the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial and Global Clean Energy Action Forum held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 21-23 September 2022, ITS-Davis announced the establishment of a new California-India partnership which aims to advance the research and policy implementation focus of transportation decarbonization efforts in India and California, providing an opportunity to engage policymakers globally in well-orchestrated efforts.

Revolutionary changes in transportation could slow global warming if done right

by Corporate Knights
April 05, 2022

The latest IPCC report says systemic changes under way in the sector could begin lowering its emissions footprint. But will they reduce emissions enough?

Around the world, revolutionary changes are under way in transportation. More electric vehicles are on the road, people are taking advantage of sharing mobility services such as Uber and Lyft, and the rise in telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way people think about commuting.

New study - 100% EVs isn’t enough to meet carbon goals

by E & E News
March 07, 2022

ITS-Davis contributed to a new study which argues that electrifying vehicles isn’t by itself enough to make transportation low-carbon by midcentury. But combined with a rethinking of how cities are designed, it could. Read more here.

Available Position: Postdoc Researcher, ITS-Davis, Energy Futures Program

December 01, 2021

The UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, Energy Futures (EF) Program is recruiting a postdoctoral Scholar to support our efforts to develop models of the transportation systems within the United States and internationally and conduct detailed analysis using those models. Particular emphasis will be on one or more of: transitions to net-zero transportation energy systems, modeling of electric and fuel cell cars and trucks within transportation systems, and modeling hydrogen systems in the context of transportation and stationery system decarbonization.

UC ITS Carbon Neutrality Webinar: The Future of Fuels in a Carbon Neutral California

August 25, 2021

The UC Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) recently released a state-commissioned study - Driving California’s Transportation Emissions to Zero - that identifies scenarios and related actions for achieving a carbon-neutral transportation system in California by 2045 while also improving equity, health, and the economy... To access the webinar recording and presentation slides, click here.

UC ITS and CalEPA Study: Decarbonizing California Transportation by 2045

April 26, 2021

Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California. In order to achieve the state’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2045 and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, decarbonizing this sector is essential. But such a transition is unlikely to occur rapidly without key policy intervention. Read more...

chart additional cost projections zero cost for zero carbon

UC Davis Transportation and Climate Blog: Zero Cost for Zero-Carbon Transportation?

July 14, 2020

By Lew Fulton and Dan Sperling

The path to zero-carbon transportation may be cheaper than you think. It need not cost trillions nor even billions. And it could even be “free” to taxpayers. Read more...