Vehicle Technologies Program
 

Advancing New 

Vehicle Technologies 

and Fuels

Today, America imports more than 

half of the oil we consume, 69 percent 

of which is used for transportation. 

Unless action is taken, Americans 

will continue to be dependent on this 

non-renewable resource and its ever 

fluctuating price and availability. 

Research and development undertaken 

by the U.S. Department of Energy’s 

(DOE’s) Vehicle Technologies program 

(VT) is helping to change this trend.

 

The VT program is actively developing 

and accelerating the deployment of 

clean and efficient vehicle technologies, 

as well as renewable fuels, which 

together could dramatically reduce the 

U.S. demand for petroleum products. 

The VT program works with industry, 

universities, and state and local governments to strengthen the economy, 

create jobs, and make a difference in 

the everyday lives of Americans. 

 

Current Goals and Activities 

n Development of hybrid-electric 

 and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles

 can provide significant improvement 

 in fuel economy and petroleum 

 displacement. Researchers are

 looking to make batteries more 

 affordable and recyclable, as well 

 as enhance battery range, perfor-

 mance, and life. This research 

 supports President Obama’s goal 

 of 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles 

 (PHEVs) by 2015. The Program is 

 also actively working with industry 

 and state and local governments to 

 develop domestic battery and

 electric-drive component plants to 

 secure our energy future. 

 

n Deployment of alternative fuels can 

 rapidly reduce oil imports. The VT 

 program leads in facilitating 

 deployment of alternative fuels

 (ethanol blends, biodiesel, hydrogen, 

 electricity, propane, and compressed 

 natural gas) and fuel infrastructures 

 by partnering with state and local

 governments, universities, and 

 industry. 

 

n Reducing vehicle weight directly 

 improves vehicle efficiency and 

 fuel economy, and can potentially 

 reduce vehicle operating costs. The 

 introduction of cost-effective, high-

 strength materials can significantly 

 reduce vehicle weight without 

 compromising safety.

 

n Improved combustion technologies 

 and optimized fuel systems can 

 improve near- and mid-term fuel

 efficiency. Goals are to improve 

 efficiency for passenger vehicles to 

 45 percent by 2010, and for commer-

 cial vehicles to 55 percent by 2013.

 

Reducing highway oil use has more 

potential to improve the Nation’s 

energy security than any other action; 

even a one percent improvement in 

vehicle fuel efficiency would save 

consumers over $2 billion annually. 

 

Partnering for Success 

The VT program’s success depends 

on its relationship with universities, 

vehicle and engine manufacturers, 

material suppliers, nonprofit technology 

organizations, energy suppliers 

and national laboratories. The 

FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership 

and 21st Century Truck Partnership 

are designed to identify and select 

appropriate research and development 

objectives to achieve the Program and 

its partners’ strategic goals. Projects 

are conducted through a variety of 

mechanisms including cooperative 

agreements, university grants, 

subcontracts, and in-house research 

funded at DOE’s national laboratories.

 

Program Components Work 

Together: Achieving Results 

Hybrid Electric Systems – Hybrid-electric 

systems (e.g. energy storage, electricdrive componens, and systems analysis 

and testing) R&D activities continue to 

be a hugely successful part of DOE’s 

vehicle research program.

 

Energy storage technologies, mainly 

batteries, are critical enabling 

technologies for the development of 

more fuel-efficient light- and heavyduty vehicles. The development of 

durable and affordable advanced 

batteries is essential for wide-spread 

integration of hybrid-electric and plugin hybrid-electric vehicles. Currently, 
Vehicle Technologies Program
 

the Program is enabling industry and 

state and local governments to build 

domestic battery manufacturing and 

electric-drive component plants, 

one of the strategic goals set forth in 

President Obama’s Recovery Act. 

 

Power electronics and electrical 

machines’ technologies are integral to 

the advancement of hybrid and plug-in 

hybrid electric vehicles acceptance 

into the market place. These 

technologies must be compatible with 

high-volume manufacturing; must 

ensure high reliability, efficiency, and 

ruggedness; and must simultaneously 

reduce cost, weight, and volume.

 

Technology validation confirms that 

the technologies the VT program 

helps create will work in the actual 

vehicle system under varying 

operating scenarios. It is important 

to compare the Program’s research 

results with similar work performed 

worldwide. Through laboratory 

testing, researchers compare vehicles 

and components to validate models, 

support the setting of technical 

benchmarking targets, and provide 

data to guide technology development.

Advanced Combustion Engine R&D — 

Boosting the efficiency of internal 

combustion engines is one of the 

most promising and cost-effective 

approaches to increasing vehicle 

fuel economy over the next 30 

years. In fact, the United States can 

cut its transportation fuel use 20 to 

40% through commercialization of 

advanced engines. The Advanced 

Combustion Engine R&D subprogram 

is working to identify technologies, 

configurations, and engine control 

strategies—such as low-temperature 

combustion, variable compression 

ratio, and exhaust gas recirculation— 

that achieve the best combination of 

high fuel economy and low emissions 

for advanced internal combustion 

engines, advanced diesel engines, 

hybrid-electric vehicles, and other 

alternative-fueled vehicles. 

Materials Technology — Advanced 

propulsion materials enable the 

development of durable and costeffective high-efficiency materials 

for vehicles. This is accomplished by 

identifying and addressing materials 

needs based on technological hurdles 

expected to confront envisioned 

advanced vehicle systems. These 

efforts are closely coordinated 

with the other VT subprograms to 

effectively identify future materials 

needs and provide efficient technology 

transfer from materials development 

to component applications. The use 

of lightweight, high-performance 

materials will contribute to the 

development of vehicles that 

provide better fuel economy, yet are 

comparable in size, comfort, and 

safety to today’s vehicles. The goal is 

to develop and validate cost-effective 

high strength materials technologies 

that significantly reduce vehicle 

weight without compromising cost, 

performance, safety, or recyclability.

 

Fuels Technology — The fuels and 

lubricants effort supports R&D that 

will provide consumers with fuel 

options that are cost-competitive, 

enable higher fuel economy, deliver 

lower emissions, and reduce the use of 

imported oil. For example, the team is 

evaluating the impacts of intermediate 

ethanol/gasoline blends (e.g., E15 and 

E20) on performance, emissions, and 

durability of the existing vehicle fleet 

and on small, non-road engines.

 

Technology Integration and Deployment 

— Integrating newly validated 

technologies is a multi-faceted 

challenge incorporating education 

and training, consumer education, 

and early adopter support, as well as 

supporting relevant legislative and 

rulemaking activities.

 

Clean Cities is the main deployment 

arm of the VT program. It is a 

government-industry partnership 

designed to reduce petroleum 

consumption in the transportation 

sector by advancing the use of 

alternative fuels and vehicles, idle 

reduction technologies, hybrid 

electric vehicles, fuel blends, and fuel 

economy measures. This subprogram 

facilitates deployment and encourages 

the adoption of alternative fuels 

through partnerships with local, state, 

and federal agencies; public health 

and transportation departments; 

commercial fleets; transit agencies; 

and other government offices; as well 

as auto manufacturers, car dealers, 

fuel and equipment suppliers, public 

utilities, and nonprofit associations. 

Since 1993, Clean Cities and its 

stakeholders have reduced petroleum 

consumption by 2 billion gallons.

 

The VT program’s education activities 

include 10 Graduate Automotive 

Technology Education Centers of 

Excellence at nine U.S. universities, 

and advanced student engineering 

competitions. The latest student 

competition, EcoCAR: The Next 

Challenge, challenges university 

students to reduce the environmental 

impact of vehicles by minimizing 

the vehicle’s fuel consumption and 

reducing its emissions while retaining 

the vehicle’s performance, safety and 

consumer appeal. Many students who 

graduate from the student vehicle 

competitions, and from the GATE 

Program, go on to take jobs in the auto 

industry, government, and academia, 

where they bring unprecedented 

appreciation and understanding of 

advanced automotive technologies. 

For More Information 

Contact the EERE Information Center 

1-877-EERE-INF or 1-877-337-3463 

or visit www.vehicles.energy.gov 

Prepared by NREL, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department 

of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 

operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. 

DOE/GO-102009-2571 • May 2009 

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 

50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste.