I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5538 
To reduce the Nation’s dependence on foreign sources of oil by promoting 
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and related advanced vehicle technologies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2006 
Mr. SMITH of Texas (for himself, Mr. HONDA, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. GORDON, 
Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. BARTLETT of Mary-
land, Mr. ENGEL, and Mr. MCCAUL of Texas) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science 
A BILL 
To reduce the Nation’s dependence on foreign sources of 
oil by promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and re-
lated advanced vehicle technologies. 
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 ‘‘Plug-In Hybrid Elec-
tric Vehicle Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. NEAR-TERM VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) BATTERY.—The term ‘‘battery’’ means a 
device or system for the electrochemical storage of 
energy. 
(2) BIOMASS.—The term ‘‘biomass’’ has mean-
ing given the term in section 932 of the Energy Pol-
icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16232). 
(3) E85.—The term ‘‘E85’’ means a fuel blend 
containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gaso-
line by volume. 
(4) ELECTRIC DRIVE TRANSPORTATION TECH-
NOLOGY.—The term ‘‘electric drive transportation 
technology’’ means— 
(A) vehicles that use an electric motor for 
all or part of their motive power and that may 
or may not use offboard electricity, including 
battery electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, hy-
brid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric ve-
hicles, flexible fuel plug-in hybrid electric vehi-
cles, and electric rail; and 
(B) related equipment, including electric 
equipment necessary to recharge a plug-in hy-
brid electric vehicle. 
(5) FLEXIBLE
FUEL
PLUG-IN
HYBRID
ELEC-
TRIC VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘flexible fuel plug-in hy-
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brid electric vehicle’’ means a plug-in hybrid electric 
vehicle— 
(A) warranted by its manufacturer as ca-
pable of operating on any combination of gaso-
line or E85 for its onboard internal combustion 
or heat engine; or 
(B) that uses a fuel cell for battery charg-
ing when disconnected from offboard power 
sources. 
(6) FUEL CELL VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘fuel cell 
vehicle’’ means an onroad vehicle that uses a fuel 
cell (as defined in section 803 of the Energy Policy 
Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16152)). 
(7) HYBRID
ELECTRIC
VEHICLE.—The term 
‘‘hybrid electric vehicle’’ means an onroad vehicle 
that— 
(A) can operate on either liquid combus-
tible fuel or electric power provided by an on-
board battery; and 
(B) utilizes regenerative power capture 
technology to recover energy expended in brak-
ing the vehicle for use in recharging the bat-
tery. 
(8) PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE.—The 
term ‘‘plug-in hybrid electric vehicle’’ means a hy-
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brid electric vehicle that can operate solely on elec-
tric power for a minimum of 20 miles under city 
driving conditions, and that is capable of recharging 
its battery from an offboard electricity source. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
(b) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall conduct a pro-
gram of research, development, demonstration, and com-
mercial application on technologies needed for the develop-
ment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, including— 
(1) high capacity, high efficiency batteries, to— 
(A) improve battery life, energy storage ca-
pacity, and power delivery capacity, and lower 
cost; and 
(B) minimize waste and hazardous mate-
rial production in the entire value chain, includ-
ing after the end of the useful life of the bat-
teries; 
(2) high efficiency onboard and offboard charg-
ing components; 
(3) high power drive train systems for pas-
senger and commercial vehicles and for supporting 
equipment; 
(4) onboard energy management systems, power 
trains, and systems integration for plug-in hybrid 
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electric vehicles, flexible fuel plug-in hybrid electric 
vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, including effi-
cient cooling systems and systems that minimize the 
emissions profile of such vehicles; and 
(5) lightweight materials, including research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial appli-
cation to reduce the cost of materials such as steel 
alloys and carbon fibers. 
(c) PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE DEM-
ONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive grant pilot demonstration pro-
gram to provide not more than 25 grants annually 
to State governments, local governments, metropoli-
tan transportation authorities, or combinations 
thereof to carry out a project or projects for dem-
onstration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. 
(2) APPLICATIONS.— 
(A) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
issue requirements for applying for grants 
under the demonstration pilot program. The 
Secretary shall require that applications, at a 
minimum, include a description of how data will 
be— 
(i) collected on the— 
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(I) performance of the vehicle or 
vehicles and the components, includ-
ing the battery, energy management, 
and charging systems, under various 
driving speeds, trip ranges, traffic, 
and other driving conditions; 
(II) costs of the vehicle or vehi-
cles, including acquisition, operating, 
and maintenance costs, and how the 
project or projects will be self-sus-
taining after Federal assistance is 
completed; and 
(III) emissions of the vehicle or 
vehicles, including greenhouse gases, 
and the amount of petroleum dis-
placed as a result of the project or 
projects; and 
(ii) summarized for dissemination to 
the Department, other grantees, and the 
public. 
(B) PARTNERS.—An applicant under sub-
paragraph (A) may carry out a project or 
projects under the pilot program in partnership 
with one or more private entities. 
(3) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 
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(A) PREFERENCE.—When making awards 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall con-
sider each applicant’s previous experience in-
volving plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and shall 
give preference to proposals that— 
(i) provide the greatest demonstration 
per award dollar, with preference increas-
ing as the number of miles that a plug-in 
hybrid electric vehicle can operate solely on 
electric power under city driving conditions 
increases; and 
(ii) demonstrate the greatest commit-
ment on the part of the applicant to ensure 
funding for the proposed project or 
projects and the greatest likelihood that 
each project proposed in the application 
will be maintained or expanded after Fed-
eral assistance under this subsection is 
completed. 
(B) BREADTH OF DEMONSTRATIONS.—In 
awarding grants under this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall ensure the program will dem-
onstrate plug-in hybrid electric vehicles under 
various circumstances, including— 
(i) driving speeds; 
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(ii) trip ranges; 
(iii) driving conditions; 
(iv) climate conditions; and 
(v) topography, 
to optimize understanding and function of plug- 
in hybrid electric vehicles. 
(5) PILOT PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) SUBSEQUENT FUNDING.—An applicant 
that has received a grant in one year may apply 
for additional funds in subsequent years, but 
the Secretary shall not provide more than 
$10,000,000 in Federal assistance under the 
pilot program to any applicant for the period 
encompassing fiscal years 2007 through fiscal 
year 2011. 
(B) INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall 
establish mechanisms to ensure that the infor-
mation and knowledge gained by participants in 
the pilot program are shared among the pilot 
program participants and are available to other 
interested parties, including other applicants. 
(6) AWARD AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall de-
termine grant amounts, but the maximum size of 
grants shall decline as the cost of producing plug-in 
hybrid electric vehicles declines or the cost of con-
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verting a hybrid electric vehicle to a plug-in hybrid 
electric vehicle declines. 
(d) COST SHARING.—The Secretary shall carry out 
the program under this section in compliance with section 
988(a) through (d) and section 989 of the Energy Policy 
Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(a) through (d) and 16353). 
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary— 
(1) 
for 
carrying 
out 
subsection 
(b), 
$250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 
2011, of which up to $50,000,000 may be used for 
the program described in paragraph (5) of that sub-
section; and 
(2) for carrying out subsection (c), $50,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011. 
Æ 
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