DOE awards SoCalGas more than $7M for zero, near-zero emissions vehicle technology R&D

In an effort to counter climate change and air pollution, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded more than $7.1 million this week for three vehicular research and development projects assisted by Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Those projects are meant to advance zero and near-zero emissions technologies for heavy and medium duty transportation vehicles. They are run by Cummins, Inc., GTI, and the West Virginia University Research Corporation, respectively, but SoCalGas will also be supporting them with $730,000 in additional funding.

“SoCalGas is committed to being an integral part of California’s energy future, and as we work on achieving our goal to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, supporting the research and development of clean transportation technologies is key,” Yuri Freedman, senior director of business development at SoCalGas, said. “The transportation sector accounts for around 40% of California’s GHG emissions, and developing zero- and near-zero emissions vehicle technology is critical to mitigating the impacts of climate change.”

Each of the projects will advance clean energy efforts in different ways. For Cummins, it takes the form of development of a prototype, modular, scalable zero-emissions fuel cell design meant for both heavy-duty trucks and transit buses. The company claims that such a package could power multiple types of heavy-duty vehicles and reduce maintenance costs overall. The GTI project seeks to create a hybrid line-haul rail locomotive that runs on renewable natural gas.

“GTI is excited to be awarded this DOE project and work with SoCalGas, OptiFuel Systems, and other partners to demonstrate a near-zero natural gas hybrid locomotive,” Ted Barnes, GTI R&D director of Energy Utilization, said. “Advancing the technology will expand access to cleaner, affordable mobility and contribute to transportation options for consumers.”

Rounding out the efforts is West Virginia University, with a project to study the difference in maintenance and labor costs for alternative fuel trucks powered by natural gas, propane, and electric when compared against standard diesel trucks. In particular, it will examine the link between the operational facets of alternative fuel vehicles and their effects on maintenance and repair.