Analyzing UC San Diego's Fuel Options

We began with an initial question: "How can we make transportation at UCSD better?" A very broad question, we admit. But over time, with research, interviews, and a lot of conversation, we landed on research that was near and dear to all of our hearts: Alternative Energy Transportation. We saw the strides UCSD was making towards electrification in the transit system, and we wondered if this was the only option. How about Hydrogen? Propane? Biodiesel? There were so many fuels that we were interested in looking into, and thus, our jouney began.

Triton Transit Shuttles is UC San Diego’s 8 loop, fare-free bus program that covers transportation from campus to Scripps, Clairemont, Hillcrest, Old Town and the Medical center. Direct emissions from these shuttles contribute to Scope 1 emissions. Scope 1 emissions consist of direct greenhouse gas emissions that are produced by UC San Diego. In an effort to mitigate these emissions, the UC has begun electrifying the Triton Transit Shuttles to eliminate the carbon emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels. Currently, some of the on campus shuttles have already been fully electrified or are hybrid vehicles. 

Additionally, UC San Diego is seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the construction of the Voigt Electric Mobility Hub. This proposed mobility hub will consist of housing for Triton Transit drivers, 1,150 parking stalls (minimum 400 will be EV charging stalls), and a 40-vehicle bus yard with a charging barn for 24 transit buses.

The goal of our project is to deepen our understanding of current costs and emissions associated with Triton Transit Shuttles and to further evaluate the viability of alternative energy sources for the shuttle fleet. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the seven alternative fuels currently available for vehicle use are Biodiesel, Hydrogen, Ethanol, Renewable Diesel, Natural Gas, Electricity, and Propane. We will evaluate the viability of each of these alternative energy sources by assessing the pros, cons, emissions, infrastructure, and costs. Given our assessment of the alternative energy sources, future SYN teams can use our evaluations to implement their own projects.

Our team aimed to create this video not as a solution, but as a building block. We want to inspire UCSD students, including the upcoming classes of the Syn 100: Decarbonizing San Diego Lab Sections, to take on this challenge and work with the heavy amounts of research we have done to put an idea into action. We believe with the ground that we have gained over the past 10 weeks, we have set the next section up for success. We look forward to see what they can create, and we hope to be a part of it!

Future Ideas:

• Proposal and Budget planning for Voight Electric Mobility Hub

• Working with UCSD to find the best way to phase out all existing fossil fuel vehicles to a sustainable energy source

• Research and work on importing vs. producing our own fuel