Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Arvind Thiruvengadam

Committee Co-Chair

Gregory Thompson

Committee Member

Gregory Thompson

Committee Member

V'yacheslav Akkerman

Abstract

Abstract

Comparison of Maintenance Cost of Medium and Heavy-Duty Alternative Fuel and Diesel Vehicles

Isaac Boyce

This study was conducted to provide an in-depth analysis of the differences in maintenance cost with the use of alternative fuel and diesel in medium (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) vehicles. With the push toward lower emissions from transportation vehicles for a cleaner future, the United States of America (US) has incentivized the conversion from the use of conventional fossil fuel, diesel, to lower carbon alternatives. With the increased potential for the use of alternative fuels, an investigation is warranted to understand the differences. This comparison included natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), and diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is currently the primary fuel source for medium and heavy-duty vehicles of numerous vocations. The vehicles were sampled from the following fields of operation: such as school buses, urban delivery vehicles, and goods movement. The maintenance categories of engine and transmission, as well as exhaust and emission components demonstrated the lowest overall maintenance cost for maintenance of alternative fuel vehicles compared to diesel fuel. Natural gas and LPG powered MD and HD vehicles had consistently lower average maintenance costs in these categories over the useful life of the vehicles. This conclusion is independent of the vehicle’s vocations, for the vocations considered within this study. Highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of converting to alternative fuels for medium and heavy-duty vehicles provides the knowledge needed for end users and fleet managers to make an informed decision when purchasing a new fleet vehicle.

The results of this study showed the differences on a cost per mile basis over the life of the vehicle. Natural gas school buses were, on average, 80 percent less expensive to maintain than diesel buses and LPG buses were 62 percent less expensive, on average, compared to diesel. Delivery vehicles favored the alternative fuels with an LPG average maintenance cost that was 23 percent less expensive, on average, than diesel. Alternative fueled goods movement vehicles demonstrated a lower average maintenance cost of 40 percent, on average, compared to diesel fueled vehicles.

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