EMBARQ research team led by Erin Cooper wins The Fred Burggraf Award

Update

On January 13, 2014, the authors of EMBARQ’s "Meta-Analysis of Transit Bus Exhaust Emissions," an initaitve of the EMBARQ-FedEx Vehicles and Fuels Program, were officially awarded the Fred Burggraf Award during the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 93rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Dario Hidalgo, EMBARQ Director for Research and Practice, emphasized the importance of this recognition for research on vehicle and fuel technologies: "This collaborative project – with contributions from EMBARQ experts in Brazil, India, Mexico, and the United States – helps answer a common question raised by transit authorities: which vehicle and fuel technologies are best positioned to reduce exhaust emissions? Improving such technologies reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) and local air pollutant emissions, limiting the amount of harmful particles we breathe and complementing EMBARQ’s efforts to reduce car travel and shift trips to sustainable modes. We thank the Transportation Research Board for its recognition and are grateful to FedEx for its continued support in helping us catalyze and help implement sustainable transport solutions."

FedEx Corp., which provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services, is a long-time supporter of EMBARQ that provided substantial financial and in-kind support for the "Meta-Analysis of Transit Bus Exhaust Emissions" paper.

"At FedEx we are very happy that our sponsored EarthSmart Outreach research received recognition at this important academic conference, but more importantly, that the people who received the award are enthusiastic and committed professionals. We encourage them to continue advancing this knowledge and helping facilitate the creation of a more sustainable urban future," said Mitch Jackson, Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, FedEx Corporation. 

See the original EMBARQ article on the Award from August 26, 2013 below.

An international EMBARQ research team comprised of Erin Cooper of Washington D.C., Magdala Arioli of EMBARQ Brazil, Aileen Carrigan also of Washington D.C., and Umang Jain of EMBARQ India won the Fred Burggraf Award in recognition of excellence in transportation research by researchers 35 years of age or younger. The EMBARQ FedEx Vehicles and Fuels team received the award after submiting their paper comparing bus exhaust emissions to the Transportation Research Board of the U.S. National Research Council.

The paper, titled “Meta-Analysis of Transit Bus Exhaust Emissions” addresses the emissions of fuels combined with various exhaust after-treatments, such as low-sulfur fuel with a filter. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 2 million premature deaths each year can be attributed to the effects of urban outdoor air pollution, at least partly caused by fuel combustion. Helping private and public bus companies to make informed choices about fuel types and exhaust after-treatments is critical to improving health and addressing environmental concerns, including climate change.

Even with the abundance of information available regarding alternative fuels and vehicles, it is often unclear which fuel and vehicle types a transit agency should choose for their bus fleet. By compiling a large set of data on real bus drive cycles (as opposed to simulated bus drive cycles) Cooper and the team compared a wide variety of fuel types and commonly used exhaust after-treatments that reduce emissions, making the results of transit bus testing around the world more easily comparable and applicable in different locations.

Cooper explained, “There are a number of papers out there that examine transport emissions from different fuels. I think our paper gained recognition because we not only addressed transit bus emissions, but also made the research more accessible to policy makers, specifically in developing countries, where bus costs are often borne by individual operators.”

Problematically, the existing research addresses specific combinations of fuels and after-treatments most commonly seen in the U.S. or Europe. The EMBARQ FedEx Vehicles and Fuels team made this data useful to developing countries, allowing decision makers to compare data from a wide range of tests. Cooper and her team focused on data that is relevant to Brazil, India, and Mexico, three countries whose urban populations are soaring, and whose need for efficient public transport is paramount. By focusing analysis on fuels that are available or soon to be available in these three countries, the FedEx Vehicles and Fuels team are helping bus operators in these three critical countries and in many other developing countries to make informed decisions about their fuel and exhaust after-treatments.

This paper is part of a larger project focusing on lifecycle costs and lifecycle emissions for buses. The next portion of the team’s research, which they are working on now, is a specific case study for Mexico, India, and Brazil, examining life-cycle costs and emissions. The upcoming paper will have more specific recommendations regarding which technologies and fuels are best.

To learn more, please contact Erin Cooper at ecooper@wri.org or call +1 (202) 729-7730.