Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $51.5m for new and innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and the fuels that power them.
Image: US DOE to support fuel research. Photo: Courtesy of DEZALB/Pixabay.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), this FOA addresses priorities in gaseous fuels research, including natural gas, biopower, and hydrogen; heavy-duty freight electrification; hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies for heavy-duty applications; and energy efficient off-road vehicles.
“As the fastest growing fuel users, trucks offer an important opportunity to use innovation to improve energy productivity,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes. “Through research and new developments in both energy efficiency and domestically-sourced fuel technologies, we can not only strengthen our energy security but also improve transportation affordability for our nation’s trucking industry – helping those who deliver American goods and those who use them.”
Topic areas for this funding opportunity include the following:
Topic 1: Gaseous Fuels Research and Technology Integration for Medium- and Heavy-duty Vehicles (up to $16.5 million) – This topic includes multiple sub-topics, including novel materials for high density gas storage and transport, advanced waste to energy technologies, and technology integration that focus on lowering the cost of and overcoming technical barriers to the use of medium- and heavy-duty natural gas and hydrogen fueled vehicles.
Topic 2: Battery Electric Heavy-duty Freight Vehicles (up to $18 million) – Projects will target specific technical barriers to advanced batteries, electric drive systems, and charging systems, and demonstrate solutions per requirements in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Section 131.
Topic 3: High Throughput Hydrogen Fueling Technologies for Medium- and Heavy-duty Transportation (up to $6 million) – Projects will develop technologies for fast-fill hydrogen storage and fueling components.
Topic 4: High-durability, Low Platinum Group Metal Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) for Medium- and Heavy-duty Truck Applications (up to $6 million) – Projects will focus on innovative membrane, catalyst, and electrode structures to improve fuel cell durability for heavy-duty truck applications.
Topic 5: Energy Efficient Commercial Off-road Vehicles (up to $5 million) – Projects focused on improving the system-level efficiency of off-road vehicles, including technologies such as fluid power systems, high efficiency engines, hybridization, and connected and automated control concepts.
Source: Company Press Release