Department of Energy Announces $60 Million to Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $60 million in new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies research. This funding supports research that will lead to more affordable, efficient, and secure transportation energy.

Funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, this funding opportunity supports priorities in batteries and electrification, advanced engine and fuel technologies, materials, and new mobility technologies. Topic areas include:

Batteries and Electrification (Up to $35 million)

• Advanced liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion cells under extreme conditions, such as extreme fast charging, and mechanical, thermal, or electrical abuse.
• Novel liquid electrolytes for lithium-sulfur cells that improve the overall stability and performance of these cells.
• Lithium-sulfur and lithium-air battery cell development.
• High-power-density traction inverters for use in light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicle applications.

Advanced Combustion Engines and Fuels (Up to $5 million)

• Development of simulation tools that couple engine combustion with aftertreatment systems to enable optimization of light- or heavy-duty aftertreatment systems for near-zero exhaust emission while maintaining or improving engine efficiency.

Materials Technology (Up to $11.5 million)

• Production demonstration of lightweight multi-material passenger vehicle glider systems.

New Mobility Systems (Up to $17.5 million)

• Cooperative driving automation in vehicles enabled by low-cost infrastructure upgrades or novel applications.
• New mobility systems technologies or practices demonstrated in real-world transportation systems.

Transportation and Energy Analysis (Up to $1.2 million)

Some of these topics also support DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge, which draws on the extensive research capabilities of the DOE National Laboratories as well as universities and industry to accelerate the development of energy-storage technologies and sustain American global leadership in the energy storage technologies of the future.

The application process will include two phases: a concept paper and a full application. Concept papers are due on February 5, 2021, and full applications are due on April 7, 2021.

For more information and application requirements, please visit the EERE Program Information Center and Grants.gov

Article courtesy of the US Department of Energy.

Featured image credit: Xi Chen/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy