Guest Article by Dr. Cathy Choi

"Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection"

Transportation modes are critical to the logistics and supply chain and their contributions to Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions attributed to the cement, chemicals, food and beverage, iron and steel, petroleum refining and pulp and paper industries.  As shown in the chart, industrial emissions are a large contributor to US energy-related CO2 emissions, by sector, and synergies between transportation modes and these industries are important for long-time and sustainable solutions. 

To stay apprised of DOE’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, visit this link

For both a rear-view mirror and forward-looking view of clean engine technologies, check-out the webinar:  The IC Engine Saga: Continuous Improvement in Power and Emissions Reduction with Alternative Fuels.  The journey of the internal combustion engine can be summed up in two words: continuous improvement. Decades of engine research have provided better performance and continuously cleaner powertrains for both stationary and mobile power needs. The advent of renewable fuels further accelerated the gains in emissions abatement.

Note from the author of MobilityNotes – 

The webinar is a wide-ranging conversation by a powerhouse of women engineers, moderated by Dr. Andrea Strzelec and featuring Dr. Cathy Choi and Dr. Stefania Esposito as speakers. The talks cover a broad range of developments for the use of renewable fuels, covering the development and application of numerical tools for understanding combustion of methanol, to performance of modern engines paired with ethanol out in the field. The speakers interweave the technical discussion with insights and learnings from their respective career trajectories, so it is an excellent resource for newbies to the transportation sustainability field. 

The title quote is one from Dr. Choi’s talk in the webinar.

Upcoming event

Oak Ridge National Laboratories is hosting their Fifth Annual Smoky Mountains Mobility Conference to be held at the Westin, October 28-31, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At the conference, there will be discussions on technology and challenges with their deployment in the future of mobility.

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