The U.S. Department of Energy has upgraded its Vehicle and Infrastructure Cash-Flow Evaluation tool, part of the Clean Cities program, allowing fleet managers to evaluate compressed natural gas refueling infrastructure as well as deployment of CNG vehicles.
Users enter fleet-specific data like vehicle type, number of vehicles, and fuel use, and the VICE tool estimates both emissions and financial benefits for fleets if they transition to CNG. The VICE Model uses default values for items like fuel tax and price, maintenance, and vehicle prices, but users can input their specific data for more customized results.
The model takes the information and supplies fleet managers and owners with graphical and numerical representations of ROI, payback period, and greenhouse gas savings.