The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is now accepting applications for the formation of a consortium dedicated to research and development of five technologies linked to improving the efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The DOE hopes to award up to $12.5 million in pursuit of these technologies.
The consortium is being funded under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, and the U.S. consortium will focus on the following five research topics:
- Advanced internal combustion engine and powertrain systems;
- Overall energy management and system-level efficiency improvements;
- Hybrid electric powertrains, including regenerative braking and energy storage;
- Aerodynamic improvements, tires and vehicle weight reduction; and
- Applied research, test and evaluations to the above topics.
The consortium will focus on cost-effective weights to improve freight efficiency within the framework of existing federal emissions and safety standards.
The DOE also recently announced $80 million of funding for the next stage of the SuperTruck II efficiency project, which aims to double the fuel economy of 2009 model-year heavy-duty freight trucks.
