SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advanced Vehicle 
Technology Act of 2009’’. 
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-
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 23 percent by 2030, while overall trans-
portation energy use will decline by 1 percent. 
(4) The domestic automotive and commercial 
vehicle manufacturing sectors have increasingly lim-
ited resources for research and development of ad-
vanced 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 
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 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, 
demonstration, and commercial application and man-
ufacturing of advanced vehicles, engines, and compo-
nents;
(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; 
(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. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The following sums are author-
ized to be appropriated to the Secretary for research, de-
velopment, demonstration, and commercial application of
vehicles and related technologies, including activities au-
thorized under this Act: 
(1) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
(2) $560,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 
(3) $570,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 
(4) $580,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 
(5) $590,000,000 for fiscal year 2014. 
(b) MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY COMMERCIAL VEHI-
CLES.—From the amounts authorized under subsection 
(a), there are authorized to be appropriated for carrying 
out title II— 
(1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(2) $210,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(3) $220,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 
(4) $230,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and 
(5) $240,000,000 for fiscal year 2014. 
(c) USER FACILITIES.—From the amounts author-
ized under subsection (a), there are authorized to be ap-
propriated for carrying out section 104— 
(1) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
(3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 
(4) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and 
(5) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.
(d) 
NON-ROAD
PILOT
PROGRAM.—From 
the 
amounts authorized under subsection (a), there are au-
thorized to be appropriated for carrying out section 204— 
(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 
(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 
(3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 
TITLE I—VEHICLE RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 101. PROGRAM. 
(a) ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall conduct a pro-
gram of basic and applied research, development, dem-
onstration, and commercial application activities on mate-
rials, technologies, and processes with the potential to sub-
stantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and the emis-
sions of the Nation’s passenger and commercial 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) aerodynamics, rolling resistance, and acces-
sory power loads of vehicles and associated equip-
ment; 
(10) vehicle weight reduction; 
(11) friction and wear reduction; 
(12) engine and component durability; 
(13) innovative propulsion systems; 
(14) advanced boosting systems; 
(15) hydraulic hybrid technologies; 
(16) engine compatibility with and optimization 
for a variety of transportation fuels including liquid 
and gaseous fuels; 
(17) predictive engineering, modeling, and sim-
ulation of vehicle and transportation systems; 
(18) refueling and charging infrastructure for 
alternative fueled and electric or plug-in electric hy-
brid vehicles, including the unique challenges facing 
rural areas; 
(19) gaseous fuels storage system integration 
and optimization;
(20) sensing, communications, and actuation 
technologies for vehicle, electrical grid, and infra-
structure; 
(21) efficient use and recycling of rare earth 
materials, and reduction of precious metals and 
other high-cost materials in vehicles; 
(22) aftertreatment technologies; 
(23) thermal management of battery systems; 
(24) retrofitting advanced vehicle technologies 
to existing vehicles; 
(25) development of common standards, speci-
fications, and architectures for both transportation 
and stationary battery applications; and 
(26) other research areas as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(b) TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that the Department continues to sup-
port activities and maintains competency in mid- to long- 
term transformational vehicle technologies with potential 
to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions, 
including activities in the areas of— 
(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 and transit vehicle manufac-
turers, qualified plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers, ve-
hicle 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— 
(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, and 
support public-private partnerships dedicated to 
overcoming barriers in commercial application of 
transformational vehicle technologies that utilize 
such industry-led facilities; and 
(5) promote efforts to ensure that technologies 
developed under this Act are produced 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 
(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. 
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, and demonstration activities on 
connectivity of vehicle and transportation systems, includ-
ing on sensing, computation, communication, and actu-
ation technologies that allow for reduced fuel use, opti-
mized 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, demonstration, and commercial application program 
of advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and prac-
tices, including innovative processes to— 
(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 en-
ergy-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. 
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. 
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act and annually thereafter through 2015, the Sec-
retary of Energy shall transmit to Congress a report re-
garding the technologies developed as a result of the ac-
tivities authorized by this title, with a particular emphasis 
on whether the technologies were successfully adopted for
commercial applications, and if so, whether those tech-
nologies are manufactured in the United States. 
SEC. 106. REPORTING. 
At the end of each fiscal year the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the relevant Congressional committees of jurisdic-
tion an annual report describing activities undertaken in 
the previous year under this title, active industry partici-
pants, efforts to recruit new participants, progress of the 
program in meeting goals and timelines, and a strategic 
plan for funding of activities across agencies. 
SEC. 107. INNOVATIVE AUTOMOTIVE DEMONSTRATION 
PROGRAM. 
The Secretary shall establish an Innovative Auto-
motive Demonstration Program, within the existing Vehi-
cle Technologies Program, to encourage the introduction 
of new vehicles into the marketplace that are designed in 
their entirety to achieve very high energy efficiency but 
still provide the capabilities required by the American con-
sumer. This program shall encourage introduction of new 
light duty vehicles into the marketplace capable of achiev-
ing energy efficiencies significantly greater than required 
under current and pending Federal Corporate Average 
Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. This program shall 
also encourage the use of materials and manufacturing 
techniques that minimize environmental impacts. Awards
under this section shall be made on a competitive basis 
for demonstration of vehicles that— 
(1) carry at least four passengers; 
(2) meet all Federal safety requirements; 
(3) achieve at least 70 miles per gallon or the 
equivalent on the Environmental Protection Agency 
drive cycle; 
(4) provide vehicle performance that is judged 
acceptable to the United States consumer; 
(5) be affordable to the American consumer; 
(6) use materials and manufacturing processes 
that minimize environmental impacts; 
(7) meet all Federal and State emission re-
quirements; and 
(8) provide new high technology engineering 
and production employment opportunities. 
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, recreational, and transit vehi-
cles, including activities in the areas of— 
(1) engine efficiency and combustion research; 
(2) on board storage technologies for com-
pressed and liquefied natural gas; 
(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) heavy hybrid, hybrid hydraulic, plug-in hy-
brid, 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) complete vehicle modeling and simulation; 
(18) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including 
fuel cells and internal combustion engines, and hy-
drogen infrastructure; 
(19) retrofitting advanced technologies onto ex-
isting truck fleets; and 
(20) integration of these and other advanced 
systems onto a single truck and trailer platform. 
(b) LEADERSHIP.—The Secretary shall appoint a 
full-time Director to coordinate research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application activities in 
medium- to heavy-duty commercial, recreational, and tran-
sit vehicle technologies. Responsibilities of the Director 
shall be to— 
(1) improve coordination and develop consensus 
between government agency and industry partners, 
and propose new processes for program management 
and priority setting to better align activities and 
budgets among partners;
(2) regularly convene workshops, site visits, 
demonstrations, conferences, investor forums, and 
other events in which information and research find-
ings are shared among program participants and in-
terested stakeholders; 
(3) develop a budget for the Department’s ac-
tivities with regard to the interagency program, and 
provide consultation and guidance on vehicle tech-
nology funding priorities across agencies; 
(4) determine a process for reviewing program 
technical goals, targets, and timetables and, where 
applicable, aided by life-cycle impact and cost anal-
ysis, propose revisions or elimination based on pro-
gram progress, available funding, and rate of tech-
nology adoption; 
(5) evaluate ongoing activities of the program 
and recommend project modifications, including the 
termination of projects, where applicable; 
(6) recruit new industry participants to the 
interagency program, including truck, trailer, and 
component manufacturers who have not traditionally 
participated in federally sponsored research and 
technology development activities; and
(7) other responsibilities as determined by the 
Secretary, in consultation with interagency and in-
dustry partners. 
(c) REPORTING.—At the end of each fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Congress an annual report 
describing activities undertaken in the previous year, ac-
tive industry participants, efforts to recruit new partici-
pants, progress of the program in meeting goals and 
timelines, and a strategic plan for funding of activities 
across agencies. 
SEC. 202. CLASS 8 TRUCK AND TRAILER SYSTEMS DEM-
ONSTRATION. 
The Secretary shall conduct a competitive grant pro-
gram to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced 
technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms with 
a goal of improving overall freight efficiency, as measured 
in tons and volume of freight hauled or other work per-
formance-based metrics, by 50 percent, including a com-
bination of technologies listed in section 201(a). Applicant 
teams may be comprised of truck and trailer manufactur-
ers, engine and component manufacturers, fleet cus-
tomers, university researchers, and other applicants as ap-
propriate for the development and demonstration of inte-
grated Class 8 truck and trailer systems.
SEC. 203. TECHNOLOGY TESTING AND METRICS. 
The Secretary, in coordination with the partners of 
the interagency research program described in section 
201(a)— 
(1) shall develop standard testing procedures 
and technologies for evaluating the performance of 
advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of 
representative duty cycles and operating conditions, 
including for heavy hybrid propulsion systems; 
(2) shall evaluate heavy vehicle performance 
using work performance-based metrics other than 
those based on miles per gallon, including those 
based on units of volume and weight transported for 
freight applications, and appropriate metrics based 
on the work performed by nonroad systems; and 
(3) may construct heavy duty truck and bus 
testing facilities. 
SEC. 204. NONROAD SYSTEMS PILOT PROGRAM. 
The Secretary shall undertake a pilot program of re-
search, development, demonstration, and commercial ap-
plications of technologies to improve total machine or sys-
tem efficiency for nonroad mobile equipment including ag-
ricultural and construction equipment, and shall seek op-
portunities to transfer relevant research findings and tech-
nologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment 
and vehicle sectors. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 16, 
2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 3246 
AN ACT 
To provide for a program of research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application in ve-
hicle technologies at the Department of Energy.