I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4106 
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 
NOVEMBER 19, 2015 
Mrs. DINGELL (for herself, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, and Mr. POCAN) 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Vehicle Innovation Act of 2015’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Objectives. 
Sec. 4. Definitions. 
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Sec. 5. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE I—VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 101. Program. 
Sec. 102. Sensing and communications technologies. 
Sec. 103. Manufacturing. 
Sec. 104. User testing facilities. 
Sec. 105. Reporting. 
TITLE II—MEDIUM- AND HEAVY-DUTY COMMERCIAL AND 
TRANSIT VEHICLES 
Sec. 201. Program. 
Sec. 202. Class 8 truck and trailer systems demonstration. 
Sec. 203. Technology testing and metrics. 
Sec. 204. Nonroad systems pilot program. 
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 21 percent of global oil demand. 
(2) The United States transportation sector is 
over 90-percent dependent on petroleum. 
(3) United States heavy truck fuel consumption 
will increase 27 percent by 2030. 
(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 
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technology development, and should be better inte-
grated into Federal research efforts. 
(6) Priorities for the vehicle technologies re-
search of the Department of Energy have shifted 
drastically in recent years among diesel hybrids, hy-
drogen 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— 
(1) to 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; 
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(2) to support domestic research, development, 
engineering, demonstration, and commercial applica-
tion and manufacturing of advanced vehicles, en-
gines, and components; 
(3) to enable vehicles to move larger volumes of 
goods and more passengers with less energy and 
emissions; 
(4) to develop cost-effective advanced tech-
nologies for wide-scale utilization throughout the 
passenger, commercial, government, and transit ve-
hicle sectors; 
(5) to allow for greater consumer choice of vehi-
cle technologies and fuels; 
(6) to shorten technology development and inte-
gration cycles in the vehicle industry; 
(7) to ensure a proper balance and diversity of 
Federal investment in vehicle technologies; and 
(8) to strengthen partnerships between Federal 
and State governmental agencies and the private 
and academic sectors. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Energy. 
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