IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 445 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

AN ACT 

To establish a research, development, demonstration, and 

commercial application program to promote research of 

appropriate technologies for heavy duty plug-in hybrid 

vehicles, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

HR 445 RFS 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Heavy Duty Hybrid 

3 Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 

4 2009’’. 

5 SEC. 2. ADVANCED HEAVY DUTY HYBRID VEHICLE TECH6 NOLOGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEM7 ONSTRATION, AND COMMERCIAL APPLICA8 TION PROGRAM. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

10 a competitive research, development, demonstration, and 

11 commercial application program (referred to in this Act 

12 as the ‘‘program’’) to provide grants to applicants to carry 

13 out projects to advance research and development and to 

14 demonstrate technologies for advanced heavy duty hybrid 

15 vehicles. 

16 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue re18 quirements for applying for grants under the pro19 gram. 

20 (2) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall 

21 establish selection criteria for awarding grants under 

22 the program. In evaluating applications, the Sec23 retary shall— 

24 (A) consider the ability of applicants to 

25 successfully complete both phases described in 

26 subsection (c); and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

HR 445 RFS 

1 (B) give priority to applicants who are best 

2 able to— 

3 (i) fill existing research gaps and 

4 achieve the greatest advances beyond the 

5 state of current technology; and 

6 (ii) achieve the greatest reduction in 

7 fuel consumption and emissions. 

8 (3) PARTNERS.—An applicant for a grant 

9 under this section may carry out a project in part10 nership with other entities. 

11 (4) SCHEDULE.— 

12 (A) APPLICATION REQUEST.—Not later 

13 than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

14 of this Act, the Secretary shall publish in the 

15 Federal Register, and elsewhere as appropriate, 

16 a request for applications to undertake projects 

17 under the program. Applications shall be due 

18 not later than 90 days after the date of such 

19 publication. 

20 (B) APPLICATION SELECTION.—Not later 

21 than 90 days after the date on which applica22 tions for grants under the program are due, the 

23 Secretary shall select, through a competitive 

24 process, all applicants to be awarded a grant 

25 under the program. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

HR 445 RFS 

1 (5) NUMBER OF GRANTS.—The Secretary shall 

2 determine the number of grants to be awarded 

3 under the program based on the technical merits of 

4 the applications received. The number of grants 

5 awarded under the program shall not be less than 

6 three or more than seven, and at least half of the 

7 grants awarded shall be for plug-in hybrid tech8 nology. 

9 (6) AWARD AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall 

10 award not more than $3,000,000 to each recipient 

11 per year for each of the 3 years of the project. 

12 (c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS; TWO PHASES.—Each 

13 grant recipient shall be required to complete two phases: 

14 (1) PHASE ONE.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—In phase one, the re16 cipient shall research and demonstrate ad17 vanced hybrid technology by producing or retro18 fitting one or more advanced heavy duty hybrid 

19 vehicles. 

20 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 

21 after the completion of phase one, the recipient 

22 shall submit to the Secretary a report con23 taining data and analysis of— 

24 (i) the performance of each vehicle in 

25 carrying out the testing procedures develVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:23 Sep 11, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H445.RFS H445

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

HR 445 RFS 

1 oped by the Secretary under subparagraph 

2 (E); 

3 (ii) the performance during such test4 ing of each vehicle’s components, including 

5 the battery, energy management system, 

6 charging system, and power controls; 

7 (iii) the projected cost of each vehicle, 

8 including acquisition, operating, and main9 tenance costs; and 

10 (iv) the emissions levels of each vehi11 cle, including greenhouse gas levels. 

12 (C) TERMINATION.—The Secretary may 

13 terminate the grant program with respect to the 

14 project of a recipient at the conclusion of phase 

15 one if the Secretary determines that the recipi16 ent cannot successfully complete the require17 ments of phase two. 

18 (D) TIMING.—Phase one begins upon re19 ceipt of a grant under the program and has a 

20 duration of one year. 

21 (E) TESTING PROCEDURES.—The Sec22 retary shall develop standard testing procedures 

23 to be used by recipients in testing each vehicle. 

24 Such procedures shall include testing a vehicle’s 

25 performance under typical operating conditions. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
6 

HR 445 RFS 

1 (2) PHASE TWO.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—In phase two, the re3 cipient shall demonstrate advanced manufac4 turing processes and technologies by producing 

5 or retrofitting fifty advanced heavy duty hybrid 

6 vehicles. 

7 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 

8 after the completion of phase two, the recipient 

9 shall submit to the Secretary a report con10 taining— 

11 (i) an analysis of the technological 

12 challenges encountered by the recipient in 

13 the development of the vehicles; 

14 (ii) an analysis of the technological 

15 challenges involved in mass producing the 

16 vehicles; and 

17 (iii) the manufacturing cost of each 

18 vehicle, the estimated sale price of each ve19 hicle, and the cost of a comparable non-hy20 brid vehicle. 

21 (C) TIMING.—Phase two begins at the con22 clusion of phase one and has a duration of two 

23 years. 

24 (d) RESEARCH ON VEHICLE USAGE AND ALTER25 NATIVE DRIVE TRAINS.—The Secretary shall conduct reVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:23 Sep 11, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H445.RFS H445

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
7 

HR 445 RFS 

1 search into alternative power train designs for use in ad2 vanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. Such research shall 

3 compare the estimated cost, including operating and main4 tenance costs, emissions reductions, and fuel savings of 

5 each design with similar non-hybrid power train designs 

6 under the conditions in which these vehicles are typically 

7 used, including, for each vehicle type— 

8 (1) number of miles driven; 

9 (2) time spent with the engine at idle; 

10 (3) horsepower requirements; 

11 (4) length of time the maximum or near max12 imum power output of the vehicle is needed; and 

13 (5) any other factors that the Secretary con14 siders appropriate. 

15 (e) REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 

16 days after the Secretary receives the reports from grant 

17 recipients under subsection (c)(2)(B), the Secretary shall 

18 submit to the Congress a report containing— 

19 (1) an identification of the grant recipients and 

20 a description of the projects to be funded; 

21 (2) an identification of all applicants who sub22 mitted applications for the program; 

23 (3) all data contained in reports submitted by 

24 grant recipients under subsection (c); 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
8 

HR 445 RFS 

1 (4) a description of the vehicles produced or 

2 retrofitted by recipients in phase one and phase two 

3 of the project, including an analysis of the fuel effi4 ciency of such vehicles; and 

5 (5) the results of the research carried out under 

6 subsections (d) and (h). 

7 (f) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.—To the 

8 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall coordi9 nate, and not duplicate, activities under this Act with 

10 other programs and laboratories of the Department of En11 ergy and other Federal research programs. 

12 (g) COST SHARING.—Section 988 of the Energy Pol13 icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352) shall apply to the pro14 gram established pursuant to this section. 

15 (h) ELECTRICAL GRID RESEARCH PILOT PRO16 GRAM.—The Secretary shall establish a pilot program 

17 through the National Laboratories and Technology Cen18 ters of the Department of Energy to research and test 

19 the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the wide20 spread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hy21 brid vehicles that are advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. 

22 (i) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

23 (1) ADVANCED HEAVY DUTY HYBRID VEHI24 CLE.—The term ‘‘advanced heavy duty hybrid vehi25 cle’’ means a vehicle with a gross weight between 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
9 

HR 445 RFS 

1 14,000 pounds and 33,000 pounds that is fueled, in 

2 part, by a rechargeable energy storage system. 

3 (2) GREENHOUSE GAS.—The term ‘‘greenhouse 

4 gas’’ means— 

5 (A) carbon dioxide; 

6 (B) methane; 

7 (C) nitrous oxide; 

8 (D) hydrofluorocarbons; 

9 (E) perfluorocarbons; or 

10 (F) sulfur hexafluoride. 

11 (3) PLUG-IN HYBRID.—The term ‘‘plug-in hy12 brid’’ means a vehicle fueled, in part, by electrical 

13 power that can be recharged by connecting the vehi14 cle to an electric power source. 

15 (4) RETROFIT.—The term ‘‘retrofit’’ means the 

16 process of creating an advanced heavy duty hybrid 

17 vehicle by converting an existing, fuel-powered vehi18 cle. 

19 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Energy. 

21 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 (1) There are authorized to be appropriated to 

23 the Secretary $16,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

24 2010 through 2012 to carry out this section. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
10 

HR 445 RFS 

1 (2) Of the funds authorized under paragraph 

2 (1), not more than $1,000,000 per fiscal year may 

3 be used for— 

4 (A) carrying out the studies required under 

5 subsection (d); 

6 (B) carrying out the pilot program re7 quired under subsection (h); and 

8 (C) the administration of the program. 

9 SEC. 3. EXPANDING RESEARCH IN HYBRID TECHNOLOGY 

10 FOR LARGE VEHICLES. 

11 Subsection (g)(1) of the United States Energy Stor12 age Competitiveness Act of 2007 (enacted as section 

13 641(g)(1) of the Energy Independence and Security Act 

14 of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231(g)(1))) is amended by inserting 

15 ‘‘vehicles with a gross weight over 16,000 pounds,’’ before 

16 ‘‘stationary applications’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 

2009. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS