I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2234 
To enhance the energy security of the United States, reduce dependence 
on imported oil, improve the energy efficiency of the transportation 
sector, and reduce emissions through the expansion of grid supported 
transportation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 4, 2009 
Mr. ENGEL (for himself and Mr. BARTLETT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committees on Science and Technology and Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To enhance the energy security of the United States, reduce 
dependence on imported oil, improve the energy efficiency 
of the transportation sector, and reduce emissions 
through the expansion of grid supported transportation. 
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 ‘‘Electric Transpor-
tation Advancement Act of 2009’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to enhance the energy 
security of the United States, reduce dependence on im-
ported oil, improve the energy efficiency of the transpor-
tation sector, and reduce emissions through the expansion 
of grid supported transportation, through programs to— 
(1) develop, with industry, research institutions, 
National Laboratories, and institutions of higher 
education, projects to foster— 
(A) the commercialization of plug-in elec-
tric drive vehicle technology for various sizes 
and applications of vehicles; and 
(B) growth in employment in the United 
States in electric drive design and manufac-
turing of components and vehicles; and 
(2) optimize the availability of the existing elec-
tric infrastructure for use in fueling light duty 
transportation and other on-road and nonroad vehi-
cles to minimize the use of vehicles and equipment 
that use petroleum. 
SEC. 3. NEAR-TERM ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of subsection (c) 
of section 131 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17011(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Act’’ and inserting ‘‘para-
graph’’; 
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(2) by striking ‘‘establish a program to provide 
grants’’ and inserting ‘‘establish or maintain a com-
petitive grant and revolving loan program to provide 
grants and make loans’’; and 
(3) by adding the following new subparagraphs 
at the end thereof: 
‘‘(A) GRANT AND LOAN SELECTION.—The 
Secretary shall select grant and loan recipients 
based on the overall cost-effectiveness of a pro-
posed qualified electric transportation project in 
reducing emissions of criteria pollutants, emis-
sions of greenhouse gases, and petroleum usage. 
‘‘(B) REVOLVING LOANS.— 
‘‘(i) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall 
establish criteria for the provision of loans 
under this subsection. 
‘‘(ii) FUNDING.—Of amounts made 
available to carry out this subsection, the 
Secretary shall use amounts not used to 
provide grants to make loans under this 
subsection.’’. 
(b) PRIORITY.—Paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of 
section 131 of the Energy Independence and Security Act 
of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17011(c)(2)) is amended by striking 
‘‘grants under’’ and inserting ‘‘grants and loans under’’. 
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SEC. 4. ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION INVENTORY. 
Section 131 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17011) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) MARKET ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary, in consultation with the Administrator and private 
industry, shall carry out a program— 
‘‘(1) to inventory and analyze existing electric 
transportation technologies and hybrid transpor-
tation technologies and markets; and 
‘‘(2) to identify and implement methods of pro-
moting existing and emerging applications of electric 
transportation technologies and hybrid transpor-
tation technologies.’’. 
SEC. 5. ELECTRICITY USAGE PROGRAM AND CERTIFI-
CATION. 
Section 131 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17011), as amended by section 
4 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsections: 
‘‘(f) ELECTRICITY USAGE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Administrator and private industry, 
shall carry out a program— 
‘‘(A) to work with utilities to develop low- 
cost, simple methods of— 
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‘‘(i) using off-peak electricity; or 
‘‘(ii) managing on-peak electricity use; 
‘‘(B) to develop systems and processes— 
‘‘(i) to enable plug-in electric drive ve-
hicles to enhance the availability of emer-
gency back-up power for consumers; and 
‘‘(ii) to work with utilities and other 
interested stakeholders to study and dem-
onstrate the implications of the introduc-
tion of plug-in electric drive vehicles and 
other types of electric transportation tech-
nology on the production of electricity from 
renewable resources; and 
‘‘(C) to study and demonstrate the poten-
tial value to the electric grid to use the energy 
stored in on-board storage systems of plug-in 
electric drive vehicles to improve the efficiency 
and reliability of the grid generation system. 
‘‘(g) PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE
AND 
ELECTRIC
TRANSPORTATION
TECHNOLOGY
CERTIFI-
CATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of ena-
bling the introduction of plug-in hybrid electric drive 
vehicles and electric transportation technology into 
commercial use, the Administrator shall develop, in 
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consultation with industry, the Secretary, and the 
National Laboratories, a program to certify— 
‘‘(A) the emissions of criteria pollutants, 
fuel economy, and petroleum usage of plug-in 
hybrid electric drive vehicles; and 
‘‘(B) the emissions reductions, fuel econ-
omy improvements, and petroleum usage reduc-
tions from other forms of electric transportation 
technology. 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—The certifications made 
pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include consider-
ation of— 
‘‘(A) the entire vehicle propulsion system, 
not just the engine; 
‘‘(B) nightly off-board charging; and 
‘‘(C) different engine turn-on control strat-
egies. 
‘‘(3) TASK FORCE.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 
Administrator shall establish a task force rep-
resenting auto manufacturers, truck manufacturers, 
National Laboratories, public agencies, utilities, and 
other interested stakeholders to recommend certifi-
cation protocols for certifying— 
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‘‘(A) the emissions, fuel economy, and pe-
troleum usage of a wide variety of plug-in hy-
brid electric drive vehicles; and 
‘‘(B) the emissions reductions, fuel econ-
omy improvements, and petroleum usage reduc-
tions from other forms of electric transportation 
technology. 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
COMMENT.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Administrator shall publish the certification pro-
tocols recommended pursuant to paragraph (3) for 
public comment. 
‘‘(5) FINAL
PROTOCOLS.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Administrator shall adopt and publish final cer-
tification protocols for certifying— 
‘‘(A) the emissions, fuel economy, and pe-
troleum usage of a wide variety of plug-in hy-
brid electric drive vehicles; and 
‘‘(B) the emissions reductions, fuel econ-
omy improvements, and petroleum usage reduc-
tions from other forms of electric transportation 
technology. 
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‘‘(6) EVALUATION
AND
MODIFICATION
OF 
ELECTRIC
TRANSPORTATION
TECHNOLOGY
PROTO-
COLS.— 
‘‘(A) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 
years after the adoption of the certification pro-
tocols pursuant to paragraph (5), and every 2 
years thereafter, the Administrator, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary, appropriate Federal 
agencies, and interested stakeholders shall 
evaluate and modify, as necessary, such certifi-
cation protocols to ensure that— 
‘‘(i) for plug-in hybrid electric drive 
vehicles, such protocols accurately measure 
emissions, fuel economy, and petroleum 
usage of such vehicles; and 
‘‘(ii) for other forms of electric trans-
portation technology, such protocols accu-
rately measure emissions reductions, fuel 
economy improvements, and petroleum 
usage reductions from such technology. 
‘‘(B) MODIFICATION.—The Administrator 
shall modify such certification protocols for 
such plug-in hybrid electric drive vehicles and 
electric transportation technologies to realize 
the full potential of the benefits of such vehicles 
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and technologies, in terms of reduction of emis-
sions of criteria pollutants, reduction of energy 
use, and reduction of petroleum use. In modi-
fying such certification protocols, the Adminis-
trator shall consider— 
‘‘(i) the entire vehicle propulsion sys-
tem, not just the engine; 
‘‘(ii) nightly off-board charging, as ap-
plicable; and 
‘‘(iii) different engine turn-on control 
strategies. 
‘‘(7) PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHI-
CLE.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 
‘plug-in hybrid electric drive vehicle’ means a light- 
duty, medium-duty, or heavy-duty on-road or 
nonroad vehicle that is propelled by any combination 
of— 
‘‘(A) an electric motor and on-board, re-
chargeable energy storage system capable of op-
erating the vehicle in intermittent or continuous 
all-electric mode and that is rechargeable using 
an off-board source of electricity; and 
‘‘(B) an internal combustion engine or 
heat engine using any combustible fuel.’’. 
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SEC. 6. CITY CARS. 
Section 131 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17011), as amended by sections 
4 and 5 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) CITY CARS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Sec-
retary of Transportation in consultation with the 
Secretary, appropriate Federal agencies, and inter-
ested stakeholders in the public, private, and non- 
profit sectors, shall study, and submit a report to 
Congress on the benefits, including the petroleum 
savings of, and barriers to, the widespread deploy-
ment of a potential new class of vehicles known as 
City Cars with performance capability that exceeds 
that of low speed vehicles but is less than that of 
passenger vehicles, and that may be battery electric, 
fuel cell electric, or plug-in hybrid electric drive vehi-
cles. Such study shall examine, and such report shall 
recommend, appropriate safety requirements for 
such vehicles based on patterns of usage. Such study 
shall examine the benefits and issues associated with 
limiting City Cars to a maximum speed of 35 mph, 
45 mph, 55 mph, or any other maximum speed, and 
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