DOE to award $139M for advanced vehicle technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy is providing $139 million in funding for 55 projects that support advanced vehicle technologies.

The projects, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), will research advanced batteries, electrification, and manufacturing in support of DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge. The Energy Storage Grand Challenge is a strategy to sustain U.S. global leadership in energy storage technology, utilization, and exports.

“Technological innovation is key to revitalizing America’s manufacturing competitiveness, especially in the transportation sector,” DOE Secretary Dan Brouillette said. “I’m excited to announce that six of the 55 total projects will be led by teams here in Michigan, a state that has been the backbone of the American automobile industry for years. The Trump Administration is committed to investing in technologies that expand access to affordable mobility and provide consumers with a wide range of transportation options to meet their needs.”

The projects will be managed by EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). The projects will seek to advance lithium-ion batteries using silicon-based anodes, reduce the need for critical minerals such as rare-earth materials, accelerate the development of smart charging technologies, improve efficiency for light-duty gasoline engines, increase demonstrations and infrastructure for advanced technology vehicles, develop lightweight and high-performance fiber-reinforced polymer composites for vehicle applications, and support mobility technologies such as connected and automated vehicles, as well as innovations in transit.