MESC Seeks Input on State Partnerships to enable Automotive Conversion Grants for Small and Medium Manufacturers

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) released a Request for Information (RFI) to better understand how DOE can support small- and medium-sized automotive manufacturers and assembly companies transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) assembly and parts production to assembly and parts production for electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles.

The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, accounting for 28 percent of domestic GHG emissions in 2021. President Biden set a goal that at least 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. Small and medium manufacturers (SMMs) represent 90 percent of America’s manufacturing backbone, so the intersection of SMMs and the automotive transition is particularly important.

This RFI follows a 2023 Funding Opportunity Announcement for Automotive Conversion Grants, a program made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. Selections for this program are slated to be announced in the Spring of 2024, and MESC is currently developing a second round of this program, focused specifically on SMMs, which the responses to this RFI will inform. This RFI seeks input from local, state, and government-level entities on current and/or new potential state-federal partnerships that could enable federal funding to reach automotive SMMs embarking on the transition to serve the electric, hybrid, or fuel cell vehicle supply chains.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically as attachments to [email protected] no later than 5:00 pm (ET) on May 20, 2024.

Learn more about MESC’s mission to catalyze investments in America’s energy future and support of the re-shoring, skilling, and scaling of U.S. manufacturing across energy supply chains.