Providing Technical Information and Data
The bounty of advanced vehicle and fuel technical information created within our transportation center would mean little if it wasn't communicated effectively to the proper audiences. To ensure that it is, we use a variety of communication methods exemplified by the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC).
Housed at NREL, the AFDC is a searchable electronic library of data, publications, and information on advanced and alternative fuels, available via the Web and other means. Included are our own documents and publications plus many more from other sources. More than 3,000 items are available in all, with information on light- and heavy-duty vehicles, relevant financial incentives and regulations, fuel performance and emission data, on-line tools, technical data, funding and training resources, industry contacts, and other vehicle technologies including hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. The AFDC is used heavily by researchers and scientists in government and industry, and by the general public.
One of the AFDC's on-line tools is the Alternative Fuel Station Locator, which provides tables and maps showing alternative fuel stations nationwide. All this information is available on the AFDC Web site. Tools and coaching to help Clean Cities coordinators build effective local programs are also available. Other Web-accessible databases provide useful technical data, including fuels properties, biomass materials properties, and vehicle emissions and performance.
Making this information easily accessible to industry, researchers, and other users is an important part of our work. Publications and other data and resources also help bridge the gap between R&D projects and users. Maintaining effective relationships with the relevant communities and communicating in the most effective manner is a focus of every project.
