I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1915 
To promote the future of the American automobile industry, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 18, 2007 
Mr. CASTLE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on 
Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To promote the future of the American automobile industry, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Automobile 
Industry Promotion Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. ADVANCED ENERGY INITIATIVE FOR VEHICLES. 
(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 
(1) to enable and promote, in partnership with 
industry, comprehensive development, demonstra-
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tion, and commercialization of a wide range of elec-
tric drive components, systems, and vehicles using 
diverse electric drive transportation technologies; 
(2) to make critical public investments to help 
private industry, institutions of higher education, 
National Laboratories, and research institutions to 
expand innovation, industrial growth, and jobs in the 
United States; 
(3) to expand the availability of the existing 
electric infrastructure for fueling light duty trans-
portation and other on-road and nonroad vehicles 
that are using petroleum and are mobile sources of 
emissions— 
(A) including the more than 3,000,000 re-
ported units (such as electric forklifts, golf 
carts, and similar nonroad vehicles) in use on 
the date of enactment of this Act; and 
(B) with the goal of enhancing the energy 
security of the United States, reducing depend-
ence on imported oil, and reducing emissions 
through the expansion of grid-supported mobil-
ity; 
(4) to accelerate the widespread commercializa-
tion of all types of electric drive vehicle technology 
into all sizes and applications of vehicles, including 
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commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 
and plug-in hybrid fuel cell vehicles; and 
(5) to improve the energy efficiency of, and re-
duce petroleum use in, transportation. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) BATTERY.—The term ‘‘battery’’ means an 
energy storage device used in an on-road or nonroad 
vehicle powered in whole or in part using an off- 
board or on-board source of electricity. 
(2) ELECTRIC DRIVE TRANSPORTATION TECH-
NOLOGY.—The term ‘‘electric drive transportation 
technology’’ means— 
(A) a vehicle that— 
(i) uses an electric motor for all or 
part of the motive power of the vehicle; 
and 
(ii) may use off-board electricity, 
including battery electric vehicles, fuel cell vehi-
cles, engine-dominant hybrid electric vehicles, 
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid 
fuel cell vehicles, and electric rail; or 
(B) equipment relating to transportation 
or mobile sources of air pollution that uses an 
electric motor to replace an internal combustion 
engine for all or part of the work of the equip-
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ment, including corded electric equipment 
linked to transportation or mobile sources of air 
pollution. 
(3) ENGINE-DOMINANT HYBRID ELECTRIC VE-
HICLE.—The term ‘‘engine-dominant hybrid electric 
vehicle’’ means an on-road or nonroad vehicle that— 
(A) is propelled by an internal combustion 
engine or heat engine using— 
(i) any combustible fuel; and 
(ii) an on-board, rechargeable storage 
device; and 
(B) has no means of using an off-board 
source of electricity. 
(4) FUEL CELL VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘fuel cell 
vehicle’’ means an on-road or nonroad vehicle that 
uses a fuel cell (as defined in section 803 of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16152)). 
(5) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Initiative’’ means 
the Advanced Battery Initiative established by the 
Secretary under subsection (f)(1). 
(6) NONROAD VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘nonroad 
vehicle’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
216 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7550). 
(7) PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE.—The 
term ‘‘plug-in hybrid electric vehicle’’ means an on- 
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road or nonroad vehicle that is propelled by an inter-
nal combustion engine or heat engine using— 
(A) any combustible fuel; 
(B) an on-board, rechargeable storage de-
vice; and 
(C) a means of using an off-board source 
of electricity. 
(8) PLUG-IN HYBRID FUEL CELL VEHICLE.— 
The term ‘‘plug-in hybrid fuel cell vehicle’’ means an 
onroad or nonroad vehicle that is propelled by a fuel 
cell using— 
(A) any compatible fuel; 
(B) an on-board, rechargeable storage de-
vice; and 
(C) a means of using an off-board source 
of electricity. 
(9) INDUSTRY ALLIANCE.—The term ‘‘Industry 
Alliance’’ means the entity selected by the Secretary 
under subsection (f)(2). 
(10) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 
The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801). 
(11) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of Energy. 
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(c) GOALS.—The goals of the electric drive transpor-
tation technology program established under subsection 
(e) shall be to develop, in partnership with industry and 
institutions of higher education, projects that focus on— 
(1) innovative electric drive technology devel-
oped in the United States; 
(2) growth of employment in the United States 
in electric drive design and manufacturing; 
(3) validation of the plug-in hybrid potential 
through fleet demonstrations; and 
(4) acceleration of fuel cell commercialization 
through comprehensive development and commer-
cialization of battery technology systems independent 
of fundamental fuel cell vehicle technology develop-
ment. 
(d) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall offer 
to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy 
of Sciences— 
(1) to conduct an assessment (in cooperation 
with industry, standards development organizations, 
and other entities, as appropriate), of state-of-the- 
art battery technologies with potential application 
for electric drive transportation; 
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(2) to identify knowledge gaps in the scientific 
and technological bases of battery manufacture and 
use; 
(3) to identify fundamental research areas that 
would likely have a significant impact on the devel-
opment of superior battery technologies for electric 
drive vehicle applications; and 
(4) to recommend steps to the Secretary to ac-
celerate the development of battery technologies for 
electric drive transportation. 
(e) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall conduct a pro-
gram of research, development, demonstration, and com-
mercial application for electric drive transportation tech-
nology, including— 
(1) high-capacity, high-efficiency batteries; 
(2) high-efficiency on-board and off-board 
charging components; 
(3) high-powered drive train systems for pas-
senger and commercial vehicles and for nonroad 
equipment; 
(4) control system development and power train 
development and integration for plug-in hybrid elec-
tric vehicles, plug-in hybrid fuel cell vehicles, and en-
gine-dominant hybrid electric vehicles, including— 
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(A) development of efficient cooling sys-
tems; 
(B) analysis and development of control 
systems that minimize the emissions profile 
when clean diesel engines are part of a plug-in 
hybrid drive system; and 
(C) development of different control sys-
tems that optimize for different goals, includ-
ing— 
(i) battery life; 
(ii) reduction of petroleum consump-
tion; and 
(iii) greenhouse gas reduction; 
(5) nanomaterial technology applied to both 
battery and fuel cell systems; 
(6) large-scale demonstrations, testing, and 
evaluation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in dif-
ferent applications with different batteries and con-
trol systems, including— 
(A) military applications; 
(B) mass market passenger and light-duty 
truck applications; 
(C) private fleet applications; and 
(D) medium- and heavy-duty applications; 
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(7) a nationwide education strategy for electric 
drive transportation technologies providing sec-
ondary school teaching materials and support for 
education offered by institutions of higher education 
that is focused on electric drive system and compo-
nent engineering; 
(8) development, in consultation with the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 
of procedures for testing and certification of criteria 
pollutants, fuel economy, and petroleum use for 
light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle applications, 
including consideration of— 
(A) the vehicle and fuel as a system, not 
just an engine; and 
(B) nightly off-board charging; and 
(9) advancement of battery and corded electric 
transportation technologies in mobile source applica-
tions by— 
(A) improvement in battery, drive train, 
and control system technologies; and 
(B) working with industry and the Admin-
istrator of the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy— 
(i) to understand and inventory mar-
kets; and 
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(ii) to identify and implement methods 
of removing barriers for existing and 
emerging applications. 
(f) ADVANCED BATTERY INITIATIVE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
and carry out an Advanced Battery Initiative in ac-
cordance with this subsection to support research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial appli-
cation of battery technologies. 
(2) INDUSTRY ALLIANCE.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall competitively select an Industry Alli-
ance to represent participants who are private, for- 
profit firms headquartered in the United States, the 
primary business of which is the manufacturing of 
batteries. 
(3) RESEARCH.— 
(A) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall carry 
out research activities of the Initiative through 
competitively-awarded grants to— 
(i) researchers, including Industry Al-
liance participants; 
(ii) small businesses; 
(iii) National Laboratories; and 
(iv) institutions of higher education. 
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(B) INDUSTRY ALLIANCE.—The Secretary 
shall annually solicit from the Industry Alli-
ance— 
(i) comments to identify advanced 
battery technology needs relevant to elec-
tric drive technology; 
(ii) an assessment of the progress of 
research activities of the Initiative; and 
(iii) assistance in annually updating 
advanced battery technology roadmaps. 
(4) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—The infor-
mation and roadmaps developed under this sub-
section shall be available to the public. 
(5) PREFERENCE.—In making awards under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference 
to participants in the Industry Alliance. 
(g) COST SHARING.—In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall require cost sharing in accordance with 
section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
16352). 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 
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SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF NEW ADVANCED LEAN BURN 
TECHNOLOGY MOTOR VEHICLE CREDIT FOR 
HIGH-EFFICIENCY DIESEL MOTOR VEHICLES 
THROUGH 
TEMPORARY 
SUSPENSION 
OF 
EMISSION STANDARDS. 
(a) 
IN
GENERAL.—Clause 
(iv) 
of 
section 
30B(c)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (de-
fining new advanced lean burn technology motor vehicle 
credit) is amended by striking ‘‘2004’’ and inserting 
‘‘2012’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply to property purchased after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. BIODIESEL STANDARDS. 
Section 211 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7545) 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the first subsection (r) (re-
lating to the definition of the term ‘‘manufacturer’’) 
as subsection (t) and moving the subsection so as to 
appear after subsection (s); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (o) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(p) BIODIESEL STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) BIODIESEL.— 
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‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘bio-
diesel’ means the monoalkyl esters of long 
chain fatty acids derived from plant or ani-
mal matter that meet— 
‘‘(I) the registration require-
ments for fuels and fuel additives es-
tablished under this section; and 
‘‘(II) the requirements of the 
American Society of Testing and Ma-
terials D6751. 
‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘bio-
diesel’ includes esters described in clause 
(i) derived from— 
‘‘(I) 
animal 
waste, 
including 
poultry fat, poultry waste, and other 
waste material; and 
‘‘(II) 
municipal 
solid 
waste, 
sludge, and oil derived from waste-
water or the treatment of wastewater. 
‘‘(B) BIODIESEL BLEND.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘bio-
diesel blend’ means a mixture of biodiesel 
and diesel fuel (as defined in section 
4083(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986). 
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‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘bio-
diesel blend’ includes— 
‘‘(I) a blend of biodiesel and die-
sel fuel approximately 5 percent of the 
content of which is biodiesel (com-
monly known as ‘B5’); and 
‘‘(II) a blend of biodiesel and die-
sel fuel approximately 20 percent of 
the content of which is biodiesel (com-
monly known as ‘B20’). 
‘‘(2) STANDARDS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the American Auto-
mobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007, the Admin-
istrator shall promulgate regulations to establish 
standards for each biodiesel blend that is sold or in-
troduced into commerce in the United States.’’. 
Æ 
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