According to the US Energy Information Administration, demand for alternative fuel vehicles is on the increase in US fleets.
It finds that there were 826,318 in 2009 – up around seven per cent from 2008. However, despite this growth, there is not necessarily increased use of alternative fuel because of the uneven access to transportation fuels, such as ethanol.
As E85 has limited availability, the majority of alternative fuel vehicles are still using traditional petrol and diesel. Currently, petrol and diesel hybrids are not classed as alternative fuel vehicles because their predominant fuel source is not an alternative fuel.
It is believed that the vehicles consuming alternative transportation fuels are primarily part of fleets owned by Federal, State and local governments. This includes fuel providers, transit agencies and other private entities; with five states accounting for 40 per cent of the use in 2009: California 16 per cent, Texas 11 per cent, Arizona five per cent, Florida four per cent, North Carolina four per cent.
