Department of Energy Announces Nearly $300 Million for Sustainable Transportation Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of nearly $300 million in funding for research and development (R&D) of sustainable transportation resources and technologies. This investment supports DOE’s goal of ensuring that as the transportation system transforms, consumers have affordable, clean, efficient, and domestic energy options that give families and businesses greater choice in how they meet their mobility needs.

Funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) will be issued on behalf of the three sustainable transportation offices: Vehicles, Fuel Cells, and Bioenergy Technology Offices. EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) will provide funding support under two of the FOAs that will catalyze research, development, and adoption of energy-related advanced manufacturing technologies and practices to drive U.S. economic competitiveness and energy productivity.

Brief summaries of the FOAs with AMO-funded subtopics can be found below:

FY20 Vehicles Multi-Topic FOA (up to $133M): Topic areas within this FOA address priorities in advanced batteries and electrification; advanced engine and fuel technologies, including technologies for off-road applications; lightweight materials; new mobility technologies (energy efficient mobility systems), and alternative fuels technology demonstrations.

AMO will provide funding support on the following subtopic:

• Materials Technology (up to $15M): Developing lightweight and high-performance fiber-reinforced polymer composites for vehicle applications.

H2@Scale New Markets FOA (up to $64M): Topic areas within this FOA advance DOE’s H2@Scale initiative. This investment will support innovative hydrogen concepts that will encourage market expansion and increase the scale of hydrogen production, storage, transport, and use, including heavy-duty trucks, data centers, and steel production.

AMO will provide funding support on the following subtopics:

• Electrolyzer Manufacturing R&D (up to $15M): Lowering the cost of hydrogen produced from megawatt- and gigawatt-scale electrolyzers by improving large-scale, high-volume electrolyzer manufacturing in the U.S.
• Advanced Carbon Fiber for Compressed Gas Storage Tanks (up to $15M): Reducing the cost of hydrogen and natural gas storage tanks by developing low-cost, high-strength carbon fiber and scaling up to industry-relevant scales.

The application process will include two phases: a concept paper submission and a full application submission.

• Concept papers for the Vehicles FOA are due on Friday, February 21, 2020 and full applications are due on April 14, 2020.
• Concept papers for the Fuel Cells FOA are due on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 and full applications are due on April 20, 2020.

For more information, please refer to the Vehicles FOA and the Fuel Cells FOA on EERE Exchange.