If you are working on a plug-in hybrid powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, you may be eligible for a grant from the DOE. The agency plans to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001349) entitled “Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification and Dual Fuel Fleet Demonstration.”

DOE anticipates releasing the FOA in August 2015, so prospective applicants have until then to develop partnerships, formulate ideas, and gather data. The DOE will encourage cooperative arrangements that involve an electric transportation technology developer, a vehicle manufacturer, and a fleet operator.

The objective of the Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Powertrain Electrification area of interest is “to research, develop, and demonstrate electric-drive powertrain technologies for medium and heavy duty vehicles with an end goal of reducing fuel consumption by at least 50%, when compared to an equivalent vehicle with a conventional internal combustion engine powertrain.”

The vehicles must be commercially available – not experimental, pre-production, or planned for further development.

Source: US Department of Energy via Green Car Congress
Image: International Information Program (IIP) (CC BY-SA 2.0)