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A fact sheet from the Centro de Movilidad Sostenible explaining the purpose of vehicle labeling policies in the Americas and listing the years of implementation across several countries.

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute outlines a vision for deploying high-octane, low-carbon (HOLC) fuels in North American vehicle powertrains to meet 2025 greenhouse gas emission standards. It details infrastructure progress, fuel specifications, engine testing, and the strategic importance of increasing octane ratings to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute outlines the technology, environmental benefits, and economic considerations of hybrid-electric buses compared to conventional diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in North America.

This fact sheet details the distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants for high-speed rail projects across four US regions: West, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast, as well as additional planning awards.

This document is a data table detailing the CO2 emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles from 2014 to 2027, categorized by vehicle class, engine type, and configuration.

This guide by Energy Innovation outlines eight quantifiable urban planning principles designed to help China develop prosperous, low-carbon cities. It argues that high-density cities cannot be designed around the car and must instead prioritize public transport, walking, and bicycling to avoid gridlock, pollution, and economic stagnation.

This case study by GreenCape examines an electric vehicle (EV) pilot project conducted by the City of Cape Town (CCT) between 2020 and 2022. The project compared five BMWi3 EVs with five internal combustion engine (ICE) VW Golf GTI vehicles within the CCT Traffic Services department to evaluate the business case for municipal fleet electrification.

This fact sheet describes a joint project by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Climate Change and Development Consultants (CC&D), and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) to analyze how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, with a specific focus on Chile.

This executive summary presents a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of the proposed rehabilitation of the Tirana-Durres railway in Albania and the creation of a new connection to Rinas International Airport. The assessment compares a scenario of railway improvement against a baseline of no action, concluding that while the project is not economically viable based on traditional financial metrics, it provides substantial societal, environmental, and economic benefits over a 30-year period.

This case study examines the socioeconomic importance of Manitoba's winter road network and the provincial government's efforts to enhance its resilience in response to climate change. It details how warming winters have shortened the operational window of these roads, leading to increased costs and safety risks, and describes the subsequent policy and funding interventions used to adapt the system.

This technical supplement describes the methodology used by RMI to analyze how state-level land use reform in the United States could reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2033. The analysis compares a 'business as usual' scenario against a 'low VMT' scenario where new housing is concentrated in dense, walkable, and transit-oriented areas.

This document outlines the methodology used by RMI to estimate the economic and health benefits of reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and decarbonizing surface transportation in Minnesota. The analysis compares 'business-as-usual' scenarios against targets for VMT reduction and net-zero emissions by 2050.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) investigates the relationship between vehicle weight and safety, challenging the perception that lighter vehicles are inherently more dangerous. Using a virtually modeled ultralight concept vehicle (the 'UltraLight') compared against a 2007 Ford Edge, the study demonstrates that while an unoptimized ultralight design may offer less protection to its own driver, it is significantly less aggressive toward other road users and can be improved through iterative design without adding mass.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) examines the inefficiencies within the U.S. heavy-duty trucking industry, specifically Class 7 and 8 trucks. It identifies a fragmented value chain and cultural barriers as primary obstacles to efficiency, while asserting that existing technology could double trucking efficiency through improvements in platform, operations, and regulation.

This statement by Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) responds to a Wall Street Journal op-ed by RADM Robert G. James, defending the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) pursuit of energy efficiency and renewable energy as a matter of national security and combat effectiveness.

This briefing by RMI outlines the technical, economic, and institutional barriers to the widespread adoption of carbon fiber composites in the U.S. automotive industry. It proposes a collaborative approach to transition from individual part substitution to full composite body-in-white construction to improve fuel efficiency and reduce oil dependence.

The document argues that the U.S. transportation sector can move entirely off oil by 2050 through a strategy of 'ultralighting first' followed by electrification. By reducing tractive load (mass and drag), vehicles can achieve order-of-magnitude efficiency gains, making batteries and fuel cells more affordable. This approach, combined with productivity improvements in logistics and urban design, could save trillions of dollars and significantly reduce global carbon emissions.

This report chapter outlines the 'Hypercar' concept—an ultralight, hybrid-electric vehicle designed to drastically reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. It argues that by combining carbon-fiber composites, aerodynamic streamlining, and hydrogen fuel cells, the automotive industry can move beyond the 'Iron Age' of steel-based manufacturing. The text further asserts that technological efficiency must be paired with urban planning and land-use reforms to reduce overall dependence on driving and mitigate social costs like congestion and sprawl.

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) conducted a fact-check of a report by CNW Research/Marketing titled 'Dust to Dust,' which claimed the Toyota Prius has a greater environmental impact than the Hummer H3 SUV. Using the GREET life cycle model developed by Argonne National Laboratories, RMI found that the Prius consistently has a lower environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, even when manipulating variables to favor the Hummer.

This research paper by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes the 'hypercar'—a vehicle combining ultralight mass, ultralow aerodynamic drag, and hybrid-electric drive to achieve fuel economies 4–10 times higher than conventional cars. The author argues that by using advanced composites and recursive design, manufacturers can reduce costs and mass simultaneously, bypassing the incremental improvements of the traditional automotive industry to create a more efficient, safer, and cheaper vehicle.