I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1027 
To provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and 
commercial application in vehicle technologies at the Department of Energy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 7, 2013 
Mr. PETERS of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To provide for a program of research, development, dem-
onstration, and commercial application in vehicle tech-
nologies at the Department of Energy. 
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 ‘‘Advanced Vehicle 
Technology Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the Energy Information Ad-
ministration, the transportation sector accounts for 
approximately 28 percent of the United States pri-
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mary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, 
and 24 percent of global oil demand. 
(2) The United States transportation sector is 
over 95 percent dependent on petroleum, and over 
60 percent of petroleum demand is met by imported 
supplies. 
(3) United States heavy truck fuel consumption 
will increase 21 percent by 2030, while overall trans-
portation energy use will decline by 2 percent. 
(4) The domestic automotive and commercial 
vehicle manufacturing sectors have increasingly lim-
ited resources for research, development, and engi-
neering of advanced technologies. 
(5) Vehicle, engine, and component manufactur-
ers are playing a more important role in vehicle 
technology development, and should be better inte-
grated into Federal research efforts. 
(6) Priorities for the Department of Energy’s 
vehicle technologies research have shifted drastically 
in recent years among diesel hybrids, hydrogen fuel 
cell vehicles, and plug-in electric hybrids, with little 
continuity among them. 
(7) The integration of vehicle, communication, 
and infrastructure technologies has great potential 
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for efficiency gains through better management of 
the total transportation system. 
(8) The Federal Government should balance its 
role in researching longer-term exploratory concepts 
and developing nearer-term transformational tech-
nologies for vehicles. 
SEC. 3. OBJECTIVES. 
The objectives of this Act are to— 
(1) develop United States technologies and 
practices that— 
(A) improve the fuel efficiency and emis-
sions of all vehicles produced in the United 
States; and 
(B) reduce vehicle reliance on petroleum- 
based fuels; 
(2) support domestic research, development, en-
gineering, demonstration, and commercial applica-
tion and manufacturing of advanced vehicles, en-
gines, and components; 
(3) enable vehicles to move larger volumes of 
goods and more passengers with less energy and 
emissions; 
(4) develop cost-effective advanced technologies 
for wide-scale utilization throughout the passenger, 
commercial, government, and transit vehicle sectors; 
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(5) allow for greater consumer choice of vehicle 
technologies and fuels; 
(6) shorten technology development and inte-
gration cycles in the vehicle industry; 
(7) ensure a proper balance and diversity of 
Federal investment in vehicle technologies; and 
(8) strengthen partnerships between Federal 
and State governmental agencies and the private 
and academic sectors. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Energy. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for United States research, development, engineer-
ing, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles 
and related technologies, including activities authorized 
under this Act, such sums as may be necessary for each 
of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. 
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TITLE I—VEHICLE RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 101. PROGRAM. 
(a) ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall conduct a pro-
gram of basic and applied research, development, engi-
neering, demonstration, and commercial application activi-
ties on materials, technologies, and processes with the po-
tential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use 
and the emissions of the Nation’s passenger and commer-
cial vehicles, including activities in the areas of— 
(1) hybridization or full electrification of vehicle 
systems; 
(2) batteries and other energy storage devices; 
(3) power electronics; 
(4) vehicle, component, and subsystem manu-
facturing technologies and processes; 
(5) engine efficiency and combustion optimiza-
tion; 
(6) waste heat recovery; 
(7) transmission and drivetrains; 
(8) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel 
cells and internal combustion engines, and hydrogen 
infrastructure; 
(9) compressed natural gas vehicle technologies; 
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(10) aerodynamics, rolling resistance, and ac-
cessory power loads of vehicles and associated equip-
ment; 
(11) 
vehicle 
weight 
reduction, 
including 
lightweighting materials; 
(12) friction and wear reduction; 
(13) engine and component durability; 
(14) innovative propulsion systems; 
(15) advanced boosting systems; 
(16) hydraulic hybrid technologies; 
(17) engine compatibility with and optimization 
for a variety of transportation fuels including nat-
ural gas and other liquid and gaseous fuels; 
(18) predictive engineering, modeling, and sim-
ulation of vehicle and transportation systems; 
(19) refueling and charging infrastructure for 
alternative fueled and electric or plug-in electric hy-
brid vehicles, including the unique challenges facing 
rural areas; 
(20) gaseous fuels storage systems and system 
integration and optimization; 
(21) sensing, communications, and actuation 
technologies for vehicle, electrical grid, and infra-
structure; 
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(22) efficient use, substitution, and recycling of 
potentially critical materials in vehicles, including 
rare earth elements and precious metals, at risk of 
supply disruption; 
(23) aftertreatment technologies; 
(24) thermal management of battery systems; 
(25) retrofitting advanced vehicle technologies 
to existing vehicles; 
(26) development of common standards, speci-
fications, and architectures for both transportation 
and stationary battery applications; 
(27) advanced internal combustion engines; 
(28) mild hybrid; 
(29) engine down speeding; and 
(30) other research areas as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(b) TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that the Department continues to sup-
port research, development, engineering, demonstration, 
and commercial application activities and maintains com-
petency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle tech-
nologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petro-
leum use and emissions, including activities in the areas 
of— 
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(1) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel 
cells, internal combustion engines, hydrogen storage, 
infrastructure, and activities in hydrogen technology 
validation and safety codes and standards; 
(2) multiple battery chemistries and novel en-
ergy storage devices, including nonchemical batteries 
and electromechanical storage technologies such as 
hydraulics, flywheels, and compressed air storage; 
(3) communication and connectivity among ve-
hicles, infrastructure, and the electrical grid; and 
(4) other innovative technologies research and 
development, as determined by the Secretary. 
(c) INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION.—To the maximum 
extent practicable, activities under this Act shall be carried 
out in partnership or collaboration with automotive manu-
facturers, heavy commercial, vocational, and transit vehi-
cle manufacturers, qualified plug-in electric vehicle manu-
facturers, compressed natural gas vehicle manufacturers, 
vehicle and engine equipment and component manufactur-
ers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced 
vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy sup-
pliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, 
and independent research laboratories. In carrying out 
this Act the Secretary shall— 
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(1) determine whether a wide range of compa-
nies that manufacture or assemble vehicles or com-
ponents in the United States are represented in on-
going public private partnership activities, including 
firms that have not traditionally participated in fed-
erally sponsored research and development activities, 
and where possible, partner with such firms that 
conduct significant and relevant research and devel-
opment activities in the United States; 
(2) leverage the capabilities and resources of, 
and formalize partnerships with, industry-led stake-
holder organizations, nonprofit organizations, indus-
try consortia, and trade associations with expertise 
in the research and development of, and education 
and outreach activities in, advanced automotive and 
commercial vehicle technologies; 
(3) develop more efficient processes for trans-
ferring research findings and technologies to indus-
try; 
(4) give consideration to conversion of existing 
or former vehicle technology development or manu-
facturing facilities for the purposes of this Act; 
(5) establish and support public-private part-
nerships, dedicated to overcoming barriers in com-
mercial application of transformational vehicle tech-
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nologies, that utilize such industry-led technology de-
velopment facilities of entities with demonstrated ex-
pertise in successfully designing and engineering 
pre-commercial generations of such transformational 
technology; and 
(6) promote efforts to ensure that technology 
research, development, engineering, and commercial 
application activities funded under this Act are car-
ried out in the United States. 
(d) INTERAGENCY
AND INTRAAGENCY COORDINA-
TION.—To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall coordinate research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application activities among— 
(1) relevant programs within the Department, 
including— 
(A) the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy; 
(B) the Office of Science; 
(C) the Office of Electricity Delivery and 
Energy Reliability; 
(D) the Office of Fossil Energy; 
(E) the Advanced Research Projects Agen-
cy—Energy; and 
(F) other offices as determined by the Sec-
retary; and 
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(2) relevant technology research and develop-
ment programs within other Federal agencies, as de-
termined by the Secretary. 
(e) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.—In co-
ordinating activities the Secretary shall ensure, to the 
maximum extent practicable, that activities do not dupli-
cate those of other programs within the Department or 
other relevant research agencies. 
(f) 
FEDERAL
DEMONSTRATION
OF
TECH-
NOLOGIES.—The Secretary shall make information avail-
able to procurement programs of Federal agencies regard-
ing the potential to demonstrate technologies resulting 
from activities funded through programs under this Act. 
(g) 
INTERGOVERNMENTAL
COORDINATION.—The 
Secretary shall seek opportunities to leverage resources 
and support initiatives of State and local governments in 
developing and promoting advanced vehicle technologies, 
manufacturing, and infrastructure. 
(h) CRITERIA.—When awarding grants under this 
program, the Secretary shall give priority to those tech-
nologies (either individually or as part of a system) that— 
(1) provide the greatest aggregate fuel savings 
based on the reasonable projected sales volumes of 
the technology; and 
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(2) provide the greatest increase in United 
States employment. 
SEC. 
102. 
SENSING 
AND 
COMMUNICATIONS 
TECH-
NOLOGIES. 
The Secretary, in coordination with the relevant re-
search programs of other Federal agencies, shall conduct 
research, development, engineering, and demonstration ac-
tivities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation sys-
tems, including on sensing, computation, communication, 
and actuation technologies that allow for reduced fuel use, 
optimized traffic flow, and vehicle electrification, including 
technologies for— 
(1) onboard vehicle, engine, and component 
sensing and actuation; 
(2) vehicle-to-vehicle sensing and communica-
tion; 
(3) vehicle-to-infrastructure sensing and com-
munication; and 
(4) vehicle integration with the electrical grid. 
SEC. 103. MANUFACTURING. 
The Secretary shall carry out a research, develop-
ment, engineering, demonstration, and commercial appli-
cation program of advanced vehicle manufacturing tech-
nologies and practices, including innovative processes to— 
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(1) increase the production rate and decrease 
the cost of advanced battery manufacturing; 
(2) vary the capability of individual manufac-
turing facilities to accommodate different battery 
chemistries and configurations; 
(3) reduce waste streams, emissions, and energy 
intensity of vehicle, engine, advanced battery and 
component manufacturing processes; 
(4) recycle and remanufacture used batteries 
and other vehicle components for reuse in vehicles or 
stationary applications; 
(5) produce cost-effective lightweight materials 
such as advanced metal alloys, polymeric composites, 
and carbon fiber; 
(6) produce lightweight high pressure storage 
systems for gaseous fuels; 
(7) design and manufacture purpose-built hy-
drogen and fuel cell vehicles and components; 
(8) improve the calendar life and cycle life of 
advanced batteries; and 
(9) produce permanent magnets for advanced 
vehicles. 
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SEC. 104. USER TESTING FACILITIES. 
Activities under this Act may include construction, 
expansion, or modification of new and existing vehicle, en-
gine, and component research and testing facilities for— 
(1) testing or simulating interoperability of a 
variety of vehicle components and systems; 
(2) subjecting whole or partial vehicle platforms 
to fully representative duty cycles and operating con-
ditions; 
(3) developing and demonstrating a range of 
chemistries and configurations for advanced vehicle 
battery manufacturing; and 
(4) developing and demonstrating test cycles for 
new and alternative fuels, and other advanced vehi-
cle technologies. 
SEC. 105. REPORTING. 
(a) TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act and annu-
ally thereafter through 2019, the Secretary of Energy 
shall transmit to Congress a report regarding the tech-
nologies developed as a result of the activities authorized 
by this title, with a particular emphasis on whether the 
technologies were successfully adopted for commercial ap-
plications, and if so, whether products relying on those 
technologies are manufactured in the United States. 
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(b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—At the end of each fis-
cal year through 2019 the Secretary shall submit to the 
relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction an an-
nual report describing activities undertaken in the pre-
vious year under this title, active industry participants, ef-
forts to recruit new participants committed to design, en-
gineering, and manufacturing of advanced vehicle tech-
nologies in the United States, progress of the program in 
meeting goals and timelines, and a strategic plan for fund-
ing of activities across agencies. 
TITLE II—MEDIUM- AND HEAVY- 
DUTY 
COMMERCIAL 
AND 
TRANSIT VEHICLES 
SEC. 201. PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in partnership 
with relevant research and development programs in other 
Federal agencies, and a range of appropriate industry 
stakeholders, shall carry out a program of cooperative re-
search, development, demonstration, and commercial ap-
plication activities on advanced technologies for medium- 
to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and 
transit vehicles, including activities in the areas of— 
(1) engine efficiency and combustion research; 
(2) onboard storage technologies for compressed 
and liquefied natural gas; 
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(3) development and integration of engine tech-
nologies designed for natural gas operation of a vari-
ety of vehicle platforms; 
(4) waste heat recovery and conversion; 
(5) improved aerodynamics and tire rolling re-
sistance; 
(6) energy and space-efficient emissions control 
systems; 
(7) mild hybrid, heavy hybrid, hybrid hydraulic, 
plug-in hybrid, and electric platforms, and energy 
storage technologies; 
(8) drivetrain optimization; 
(9) friction and wear reduction; 
(10) engine idle and parasitic energy loss reduc-
tion; 
(11) electrification of accessory loads; 
(12) onboard sensing and communications tech-
nologies; 
(13) advanced lightweighting materials and ve-
hicle designs; 
(14) increasing load capacity per vehicle; 
(15) thermal management of battery systems; 
(16) recharging infrastructure; 
(17) compressed natural gas infrastructure; 
(18) advanced internal combustion engines; 
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