Additional Transit Bus Life Cycle Cost Scenarios Based on Current and Future Fuel Prices

National average diesel and compressed natural gas fuel price increased to $4.71 per gallon and $14.41 per thousand cubic feet in July 2008. West Virginia University did a life cycle cost analysis for the Federal Transit Administration on diesel hybrid-electric bus technology, conventional diesel bus technology using ultra low sulfur diesel, conventional diesel bus technology using B20 biodiesel fuel, and compressed natural gas bus technology. The fuel price forecast in the previous analysis ($2.67 per gallon for diesel and $13.34 per thousand cubic feet estimated in 2008) was much lower than the current fuel price. The life cycle cost of the four technologies was recalculated according to the high fuel cost. The report addressed how fuel costs were estimated and presented the life cycle cost summary charts for the four different fuel price scenarios.