Fuel and non-fuel vehicle operating costs comparison of select vehicle types and fuel sources: A parametric study

Abstract

Greenhouse emissions, energy consumption, roadway use, preservation/maintenance/rehabilitation, and user costs are some of the inputs required to conduct an LCA study. User costs are based on three main inputs: time delay, fuel vehicle operating costs (VOCs), and non-fuel VOCs. Generally, time delay and fuel VOCs have been considered in user costs determination. Non-fuel VOCs have been mostly overlooked due to a lack of reliable cost models adaptive to recent vehicle technologies changes. This paper presents a comparison of fuel and non-fuel VOCs for three vehicle types on representative roadway properties (e.g., grade, curvature, roughness) and vehicle speeds. Three fuel sources were considered. Newly developed FHWA fuel and non-fuel VOC predictive models were used. A comparison between the estimated fuel and non-fuel VOCs for the different scenarios was conducted. Comparable magnitudes were observed for fuel and non-fuel VOCs. Thus, highlighting the importance of non-fuel VOCs consideration in user costs determination.