This document serves to update the 1995 document of the same title. In this revision, the authors attempt to retain the methodology as much as possible from the previous release. Regardless, some changes were introduced in this updated analysis when needed. In this revision, the authors find that passenger cars and light trucks are being driven farther in their lifetimes (approximately 26,000 miles more per vehicle class). However, whereas younger passenger cars (less than 20 years old) are surviving slightly longer relative to the previous study, light trucks are not surviving as long as before early on in their existence, presumably due to the fact that they are being used more often as passenger vehicles than strictly for cargo.

More than 250 experts from around the world gathered at the Asilomar Transportation and Energy Conference in August 2007 to tackle what many agree is the greatest environmental challenge the world faces: climate change. This 11th Biennial Conference, organized under the auspices of the Energy and Alternative Fuels Committees of the U.S. Transportation Research Board, examined key climate change policy issues and strategies to combat climate impacts from the transportation sector, a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. This book includes chapters by leading presenters at the Asilomar Conference that reflect the most current views of the world’s experts about a critical and rapidly evolving energy and environmental problem. The chapters in this book examine increasing worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases, uncertain oil supply, evolving climate change science, public attitudes toward climate change, and the implications for the U.S. of growth in China, India and elsewhere. They propose methods to reduce growth in vehicle travel through alternative fuel, new technologies, and land use planning. They examine the costs and the potential for greenhouse gas reduction through deployment of advanced technology and alternative fuels and propose strategies to motivate consumers to buy fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles, including heavy duty trucks.