DOE to Provide $30M for Acceleration of PHEV Tech Deployment

January 14, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

The vehicle shall be capable of charging by using the standard 110 volt outlet found in homes and buildings across the U.S., said the DOE.

FOA Objectives
The intent of the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to research, develop and demonstrate light duty vehicles such as automobiles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), light trucks and vans, light heavy duty trucks, passenger vans or any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 lbs or less that can achieve a cumulative electric range (before transitioning to charge sustaining mode) of at least 10 miles on the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS).

However, if medium or heavy-duty vehicles such as buses, trucks, tractors or other commercial vehicles with a GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs are proposed that can meet or exceed the cumulative electric range of at least 10 miles on the UDDS, they will be evaluated using the same criteria and against the same regulations, standards and evaluation criteria as outlined in this announcement, which are developed around performance expectations for light duty vehicles, said the DOE.

The OVT program seeks to accelerate the development of PHEVs that:

1. Substantially reduce petroleum consumption.
2. Are fully compliant with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
3. Can be economically mass produced.

OVT proposes to demonstrate the operational and economic viability of the PHEVs developed through this FOA by placing them in small geographically diverse fleets in order to collect operational data, according to the DOE.

The information will be used to: inform and prioritize DOE PHEV R&D activities, educate consumers on the benefits of PHEVs, assess the electric utility impacts and national benefits of substantially shifting the fuel source for transportation to electricity.

The goal is production-intent vehicles that can be produced in volume and contribute to the nation's petroleum displacement objectives outlined in the administration's "20 in 10" initiative, said the DOE.

Program History/Background
PHEVs are not mass produced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), said the DOE. However, hybrid electric vehicles converted into PHEVs by non-OEM companies demonstrated more than 100 miles per gallon (MPG) on gasoline in both laboratory and on-road testing environments.

PHEVs rely on additional onboard energy storage such as advanced technology batteries, which are recharged from an off-board electric utility infrastructure rather than from the vehicle engine, resulting in the high fuel economy.

Since much of daily travel in the U.S. is urban, the administration challenged the DOE to develop PHEV technology capable of a 40 mile electric range such as satisfying 70% of the average daily travel in the U.S. with the objective of "substantial petroleum displacement" as well as improved air quality, said the DOE. Therefore, it is believed that fully integrated (OEM level) vehicle control is required to realize the potential of PHEVs.

The OVT Program’s approach to implementing R&D/demonstration activities emphasizes jointly funded partnerships with industry to develop and validate technologies.

More information about the PHEV FOA can be found at http://doe-iips.pr.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/8df825feb86675de852564650046faea/561b9ce14b56bf41852573b60062a912?OpenDocument/Full Announcement & Other Files/Funding Opportunity Announcement.doc.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Program .