I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 445 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2009 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER (for himself, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. WU, Mr. REICHERT, 

and Mr. SMITH of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 

6 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADVANCED HEAVY DUTY HYBRID VEHICLE TECH2 NOLOGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEM3 ONSTRATION, AND COMMERCIAL APPLICA4 TION PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

6 a competitive research, development, demonstration, and 

7 commercial application program (referred to in this Act 

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

9 out projects to advance research and development and to 

10 demonstrate technologies for advanced heavy duty hybrid 

11 vehicles. 

12 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue re14 quirements for applying for grants under the pro15 gram. 

16 (2) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall 

17 establish selection criteria for awarding grants under 

18 the program. In evaluating applications, the Sec19 retary shall— 

20 (A) consider the ability of applicants to 

21 successfully complete both phases described in 

22 subsection (c); and 

23 (B) give priority to applicants who are best 

24 able to— 


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1 (i) fill existing research gaps and 

2 achieve the greatest advances beyond the 

3 state of current technology; and 

4 (ii) achieve the greatest reduction in 

5 fuel consumption and emissions. 

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

7 under this section may carry out a project in part8 nership with other entities. 

9 (4) SCHEDULE.— 

10 (A) APPLICATION REQUEST.—Not later 

11 than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act, the Secretary shall publish in the 

13 Federal Register, and elsewhere as appropriate, 

14 a request for applications to undertake projects 

15 under the program. Applications shall be due 

16 not later than 90 days after the date of such 

17 publication. 

18 (B) APPLICATION SELECTION.—Not later 

19 than 90 days after the date on which applica20 tions for grants under the program are due, the 

21 Secretary shall select, through a competitive 

22 process, all applicants to be awarded a grant 

23 under the program. 

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

25 determine the number of grants to be awarded 


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1 under the program based on the technical merits of 

2 the applications received. The number of grants 

3 awarded under the program shall not be less than 

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

5 grants awarded shall be for plug-in hybrid tech6 nology. 

7 (6) AWARD AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall 

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

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

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

11 grant recipient shall be required to complete two phases: 

12 (1) PHASE ONE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—In phase one, the re14 cipient shall research and demonstrate ad15 vanced hybrid technology by producing or retro16 fitting one or more advanced heavy duty hybrid 

17 vehicles. 

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

19 after the completion of phase one, the recipient 

20 shall submit to the Secretary a report con21 taining data and analysis of— 

22 (i) the performance of each vehicle in 

23 carrying out the testing procedures devel24 oped by the Secretary under subparagraph 

25 (E); 


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1 (ii) the performance during such test2 ing of each vehicle’s components, including 

3 the battery, energy management system, 

4 charging system, and power controls; 

5 (iii) the projected cost of each vehicle, 

6 including acquisition, operating, and main7 tenance costs; and 

8 (iv) the emissions levels of each vehi9 cle, including greenhouse gas levels. 

10 (C) TERMINATION.—The Secretary may 

11 terminate the grant program with respect to the 

12 project of a recipient at the conclusion of phase 

13 one if the Secretary determines that the recipi14 ent cannot successfully complete the require15 ments of phase two. 

16 (D) TIMING.—Phase one begins upon re17 ceipt of a grant under the program and has a 

18 duration of one year. 

19 (E) TESTING PROCEDURES.—The Sec20 retary shall develop standard testing procedures 

21 to be used by recipients in testing each vehicle. 

22 Such procedures shall include testing a vehicle’s 

23 performance under typical operating conditions. 

24 (2) PHASE TWO.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—In phase two, the re2 cipient shall demonstrate advanced manufac3 turing processes and technologies by producing 

4 or retrofitting fifty advanced heavy duty hybrid 

5 vehicles. 

6 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 

7 after the completion of phase two, the recipient 

8 shall submit to the Secretary a report con9 taining— 

10 (i) an analysis of the technological 

11 challenges encountered by the recipient in 

12 the development of the vehicles; 

13 (ii) an analysis of the technological 

14 challenges involved in mass producing the 

15 vehicles; and 

16 (iii) the manufacturing cost of each 

17 vehicle, the estimated sale price of each ve18 hicle, and the cost of a comparable non-hy19 brid vehicle. 

20 (C) TIMING.—Phase two begins at the con21 clusion of phase one and has a duration of two 

22 years. 

23 (d) RESEARCH ON VEHICLE USAGE AND ALTER24 NATIVE DRIVE TRAINS.—The Secretary shall conduct re25 search into alternative power train designs for use in adVerDate Nov 24 2008 22:01 Jan 12, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H445.IH H445

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1 vanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. Such research shall 

2 compare the estimated cost, including operating and main3 tenance costs, emissions reductions, and fuel savings of 

4 each design with similar non-hybrid power train designs 

5 under the conditions in which these vehicles are typically 

6 used, including, for each vehicle type— 

7 (1) number of miles driven; 

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

9 (3) horsepower requirements; 

10 (4) length of time the maximum or near max11 imum power output of the vehicle is needed; and 

12 (5) any other factors that the Secretary con13 siders appropriate. 

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

15 days after the Secretary receives the reports from grant 

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

17 submit to the Congress a report containing— 

18 (1) an identification of the grant recipients and 

19 a description of the projects to be funded; 

20 (2) an identification of all applicants who sub21 mitted applications for the program; 

22 (3) all data contained in reports submitted by 

23 grant recipients under subsection (c); 

24 (4) a description of the vehicles produced or 

25 retrofitted by recipients in phase one and phase two 


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1 of the project, including an analysis of the fuel effi2 ciency of such vehicles; and 

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

4 subsections (d) and (h). 

5 (f) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.—To the 

6 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall coordi7 nate, and not duplicate, activities under this Act with 

8 other programs and laboratories of the Department of En9 ergy and other Federal research programs. 

10 (g) COST SHARING.—Section 988 of the Energy Pol11 icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352) shall apply to the pro12 gram established pursuant to this section. 

13 (h) ELECTRICAL GRID RESEARCH PILOT PRO14 GRAM.—The Secretary shall establish a pilot program 

15 through the National Laboratories and Technology Cen16 ters of the Department of Energy to research and test 

17 the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the wide18 spread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hy19 brid vehicles that are advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. 

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

21 (1) ADVANCED HEAVY DUTY HYBRID VEHI22 CLE.—The term ‘‘advanced heavy duty hybrid vehi23 cle’’ means a vehicle with a gross weight between 

24 14,000 pounds and 33,000 pounds that is fueled, in 

25 part, by a rechargeable energy storage system. 


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

2 gas’’ means— 

3 (A) carbon dioxide; 

4 (B) methane; 

5 (C) nitrous oxide; 

6 (D) hydrofluorocarbons; 

7 (E) perfluorocarbons; or 

8 (F) sulfur hexafluoride. 

9 (3) PLUG-IN HYBRID.—The term ‘‘plug-in hy10 brid’’ means a vehicle fueled, in part, by electrical 

11 power that can be recharged by connecting the vehi12 cle to an electric power source. 

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

14 process of creating an advanced heavy duty hybrid 

15 vehicle by converting an existing, fuel-powered vehi16 cle. 

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

18 the Secretary of Energy. 

19 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 (1) There are authorized to be appropriated to 

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

22 2009 through 2011 to carry out this section. 

23 (2) Of the funds authorized under paragraph 

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

25 be used for— 


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1 (A) carrying out the studies required under 

2 subsection (d); 

3 (B) carrying out the pilot program re4 quired under subsection (h); and 

5 (C) the administration of the program. 

6 SEC. 3. EXPANDING RESEARCH IN HYBRID TECHNOLOGY 

7 FOR LARGE VEHICLES. 

8 Subsection (g)(1) of the United States Energy Stor9 age Competitiveness Act of 2007 (enacted as section 

10 641(g)(1) of the Energy Independence and Security Act 

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

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

13 ‘‘stationary applications’’. 

Æ 


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