[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 488 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 488
To provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and
commercial application in vehicle technologies at the Department of
Energy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 7, 2013
Ms. Stabenow introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and
commercial application in vehicle technologies at the Department of
Energy.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 ``Advanced Vehicle
Technology Act of 2013''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Objectives.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Coordination and nonduplication.
TITLE I--VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Sec. 101. Program.
Sec. 102. Sensing and communications technologies.
Sec. 103. Manufacturing.
Sec. 104. 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. 205. Repeal of existing authorities.
SEC. 2. OBJECTIVES.
The objectives of this Act are--
(1) to reform and reorient the vehicle technologies
programs of the Department;
(2) to establish a clear and consistent authority for
vehicle technologies programs of the Department;
(3) to develop United States technologies and practices
that--
(A) improve the fuel efficiency and emissions of
all vehicles produced in the United States; and
(B) reduce vehicle reliance on petroleum-based
fuels;
(4) to support domestic research, development, engineering,
demonstration, and commercial application and manufacturing of
advanced vehicles, engines, and components;
(5) to enable vehicles to move larger volumes of goods and
more passengers with less energy and emissions;
(6) to develop cost-effective advanced technologies for
wide-scale utilization throughout the passenger, commercial,
government, and transit vehicle sectors;
(7) to allow for greater consumer choice of vehicle
technologies and fuels;
(8) to shorten technology development and integration
cycles in the vehicle industry;
(9) to ensure a proper balance and diversity of Federal
investment in vehicle technologies and among vehicle classes;
and
(10) to strengthen partnerships between Federal and State
governmental agencies and the private and academic sectors.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Energy.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
SEC. 4. COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.
(a) Coordination.--The Secretary shall ensure that activities
authorized by this Act do not duplicate activities of other programs
within the Department or other relevant agencies.
(b) Cost-Sharing Requirement.--The activities carried out under
this Act shall be subject to the cost-sharing requirements of section
988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352).
TITLE I--VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
SEC. 101. PROGRAM.
(a) Activities.--The Secretary shall conduct a program of basic and
applied research, development, engineering, demonstration, and
commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and
processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate
petroleum use and the emissions of the Nation's passenger and
commercial vehicles, including activities in the areas of--
(1) hybridization or full electrification of vehicle
systems;
(2) batteries, ultracapacitors, and other energy storage
devices;
(3) power electronics;
(4) vehicle, component, and subsystem manufacturing
technologies and processes;
(5) engine efficiency and combustion optimization;
(6) waste heat recovery;
(7) transmission and drivetrains;
(8) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells and
internal combustion engines, and hydrogen infrastructure;
(9) compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas
vehicle technologies;
(10) aerodynamics, rolling resistance, and accessory power
loads of vehicles and associated equipment;
(11) vehicle weight reduction, including lightweighting
materials;
(12) friction and wear reduction;
(13) engine and component durability;
(14) innovative propulsion systems;
(15) advanced boosting systems;
(16) hydraulic hybrid technologies;
(17) engine compatibility with and optimization for a
variety of transportation fuels including natural gas and other
liquid and gaseous fuels;
(18) predictive engineering, modeling, and simulation of
vehicle and transportation systems;
(19) refueling and charging infrastructure for alternative
fueled and electric or plug-in electric hybrid vehicles,
including the unique challenges facing rural areas;
(20) gaseous fuels storage systems and system integration
and optimization;
(21) sensing, communications, and actuation technologies
for vehicle, electrical grid, and infrastructure;
(22) efficient use, substitution, and recycling of
potentially critical materials in vehicles, including rare
earth elements and precious metals, at risk of supply
disruption;
(23) aftertreatment technologies;
(24) thermal management of battery systems;
(25) retrofitting advanced vehicle technologies to existing
vehicles;
(26) development of common standards, specifications, and
architectures for both transportation and stationary battery
applications;
(27) advanced internal combustion engines; and
(28) other research areas as determined by the Secretary.
(b) Transformational Technology.--The Secretary shall ensure that
the Department continues to support research, development, engineering,
demonstration, and commercial application activities and maintains
competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies
with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and
emissions, including activities in the areas of--
(1) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells,
internal combustion engines, hydrogen storage, infrastructure,
and activities in hydrogen technology validation and safety
codes and standards;
(2) multiple battery chemistries and novel energy storage
devices, including nonchemical batteries, ultracapacitors and
electromechanical storage technologies such as hydraulics,
flywheels, and compressed air storage;
(3) communication, connectivity, and power flow among
vehicles, infrastructure, and the electrical grid; and
(4) other innovative technologies research and development,
as determined by the Secretary.
(c) Industry Participation.--To the maximum extent practicable,
activities under this Act shall be carried out in partnership or
collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial,
vocational, and transit vehicle manufacturers, qualified plug-in
electric vehicle manufacturers, compressed natural gas and liquefied
petroleum gas vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and
component manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers,
advanced vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy
suppliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, and
independent research laboratories. In carrying out this Act the
Secretary shall--
(1) determine whether a wide range of companies that
manufacture or assemble vehicles or components in the United
States are represented in ongoing public private partnership
activities, including firms that have not traditionally
participated in federally sponsored research and development
activities, and where possible, partner with such firms that
conduct significant and relevant research and development
activities in the United States;
(2) leverage the capabilities and resources of, and
formalize partnerships with, industry-led stakeholder
organizations, nonprofit organizations, industry consortia, and
trade associations with expertise in the research and
development of, and education and outreach activities in,
advanced automotive and commercial vehicle technologies;
(3) develop more efficient processes for transferring
research findings and technologies to industry;
(4) give consideration to conversion of existing or former
vehicle technology development or manufacturing facilities for
the purposes of this Act;
(5) establish and support public-private partnerships,
dedicated to overcoming barriers in commercial application of
transformational vehicle technologies, that utilize such
industry-led technology development facilities of entities with
demonstrated expertise in successfully designing and
engineering pre-commercial generations of such transformational
technology; and
(6) promote efforts to ensure that technology research,
development, engineering, and commercial application activities
funded under this Act are carried out in the United States.
(d) Interagency and Intraagency Coordination.--To the maximum
extent practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate research,
development, demonstration, and commercial application activities
among--
(1) relevant programs within the Department, including--
(A) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy;
(B) the Office of Science;
(C) the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability;
(D) the Office of Fossil Energy;
(E) the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy;
and
(F) other offices as determined by the Secretary;
and
(2) relevant technology research and development programs
within the Department of Transportation and other Federal
agencies, as determined by the Secretary.
(e) Federal Demonstration of Technologies.--The Secretary shall
make information available to procurement programs of Federal agencies
regarding the potential to demonstrate technologies resulting from
activities funded through programs under this Act.
(f) Intergovernmental Coordination.--The Secretary shall seek
opportunities to leverage resources and support initiatives of State
and local governments in developing and promoting advanced vehicle
technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure.
(g) Criteria.--When awarding cost-shared grants under this program,
the Secretary shall give priority to those technologies (either
individually or as part of a system) that--
(1) provide the greatest aggregate fuel savings based on
the reasonable projected sales volumes of the technology; and
(2) provide the greatest increase in United States
employment.
SEC. 102. SENSING AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary
of Transportation and the relevant research programs of other Federal
agencies, shall conduct research, development, engineering, and
demonstration activities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation
systems, including on sensing, computation, communication, and
actuation technologies that allow for reduced fuel use, optimized
traffic flow, and vehicle electrification, including technologies for--
(1) onboard vehicle, engine, and component sensing and
actuation;
(2) vehicle-to-vehicle sensing and communication;
(3) vehicle-to-infrastructure sensing and communication;
and
(4) vehicle integration with the electrical grid, including
communications to provide grid services.
(b) Coordination.--The activities carried out under this section
shall supplement (and not supplant) activities under the intelligent
transportation system research program of the Department of
Transportation.
SEC. 103. MANUFACTURING.
The Secretary shall carry out a research, development, engineering,
demonstration, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle
manufacturing technologies and practices, including innovative
processes to--
(1) increase the production rate and decrease the cost of
advanced battery manufacturing;
(2) vary the capability of individual manufacturing
facilities to accommodate different battery chemistries and
configurations;
(3) reduce waste streams, emissions, and energy-intensity
of vehicle, engine, advanced battery and component
manufacturing processes;
(4) recycle and remanufacture used batteries and other
vehicle components for reuse in vehicles or stationary
applications;
(5) produce cost-effective lightweight materials such as
advanced metal alloys, polymeric composites, and carbon fiber;
(6) produce lightweight high pressure storage systems for
gaseous fuels;
(7) design and manufacture purpose-built hydrogen and fuel
cell vehicles and components;
(8) improve the calendar life and cycle life of advanced
batteries; and
(9) produce permanent magnets for advanced vehicles.
SEC. 104. REPORTING.
(a) Technologies Developed.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter through 2017, the
Secretary of Energy shall transmit to Congress a report regarding the
technologies developed as a result of the activities authorized by this
title, with a particular emphasis on whether the technologies were
successfully adopted for commercial applications, and if so, whether
products relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United
States.
(b) Additional Matters.--At the end of each fiscal year through
2017 the Secretary shall submit to the relevant Congressional
committees of jurisdiction an annual report describing activities
undertaken in the previous year under this title, active industry
participants, efforts to recruit new participants committed to design,
engineering, and manufacturing of advanced vehicle technologies in the
United States, progress of the program in meeting goals and timelines,
and a strategic plan for funding of activities across agencies.
TITLE II--MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY COMMERCIAL AND TRANSIT VEHICLES
SEC. 201. PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in partnership with relevant
research and development programs in other Federal agencies, and a
range of appropriate industry stakeholders, shall carry out a program
of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial
application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-
duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles,
including activities in the areas of--
(1) engine efficiency and combustion research;
(2) onboard storage technologies for compressed natural gas
and liquefied petroleum gas;
(3) development and integration of engine technologies
designed for compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas
operation of a variety of vehicle platforms;
(4) waste heat recovery and conversion;
(5) improved aerodynamics and tire rolling resistance;
(6) energy and space-efficient emissions control systems;
(7) heavy hybrid, hybrid hydraulic, plug-in hybrid, and
electric platforms, and energy storage technologies;
(8) drivetrain optimization;
(9) friction and wear reduction;
(10) engine idle and parasitic energy loss reduction;
(11) electrification of accessory loads;
(12) onboard sensing and communications technologies;
(13) advanced lightweighting materials and vehicle designs;
(14) increasing load capacity per vehicle;
(15) thermal management of battery systems;
(16) recharging infrastructure;
(17) compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas
infrastructure;
(18) advanced internal combustion engines;
(19) complete vehicle modeling and simulation;
(20) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells
and internal combustion engines, and hydrogen infrastructure;
(21) retrofitting advanced technologies onto existing truck
fleets; and
(22) integration of these and other advanced systems onto a
single truck and trailer platform.
(b) Leadership.--The Secretary shall appoint a full-time Director
to coordinate research, development, demonstration, and commercial
application activities in medium- to heavy-duty commercial,
recreational, and transit vehicle technologies. Responsibilities of the
Director shall be to--
(1) improve coordination and develop consensus between
government agency and industry partners, and propose new
processes for program management and priority setting to better
align activities and budgets among partners;
(2) regularly convene workshops, site visits,
demonstrations, conferences, investor forums, and other events
in which information and research findings are shared among
program participants and interested stakeholders;
(3) develop a budget for the Department's activities with
regard to the interagency program, and provide consultation and
guidance on vehicle technology funding priorities across
agencies;
(4) determine a process for reviewing program technical
goals, targets, and timetables and, where applicable, aided by
life-cycle impact and cost analysis, propose revisions or
elimination based on program progress, available funding, and
rate of technology adoption;
(5) evaluate ongoing activities of the program and
recommend project modifications, including the termination of
projects, where applicable;
(6) recruit new industry participants to the interagency
program, including truck, trailer, and component manufacturers
who have not traditionally participated in federally sponsored
research and technology development activities; and
(7) other responsibilities as determined by the Secretary,
in consultation with interagency and industry partners.
(c) Reporting.--At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall
submit to the Congress an annual report describing activities
undertaken in the previous year, active industry participants, efforts
to recruit new participants, progress of the program in meeting goals
and timelines, and a strategic plan for funding of activities across
agencies.
SEC. 202. CLASS 8 TRUCK AND TRAILER SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATION.
The Secretary shall conduct a competitive grant program to
demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class
8 truck and trailer platforms with a goal of improving overall freight
efficiency, as measured in tons and volume of freight hauled or other
work performance-based metrics, by 50 percent, including a combination
of technologies listed in section 201(a). Applicant teams may be
comprised of truck and trailer manufacturers, engine and component
manufacturers, fleet customers, university researchers, and other
applicants as appropriate for the development and demonstration of
integrated Class 8 truck and trailer systems.
SEC. 203. TECHNOLOGY TESTING AND METRICS.
The Secretary, in coordination with the partners of the interagency
research program described in section 201(a)--
(1) shall develop standard testing procedures and
technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy
vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty
cycles and operating conditions, including for heavy hybrid
propulsion systems;
(2) shall evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work
performance-based metrics other than those based on miles per
gallon, including those based on units of volume and weight
transported for freight applications, and appropriate metrics
based on the work performed by nonroad systems; and
(3) may construct heavy duty truck and bus testing
facilities.
SEC. 204. NONROAD SYSTEMS PILOT PROGRAM.
The Secretary shall undertake a pilot program of research,
development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies
to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad mobile
equipment including agricultural and construction equipment, and shall
seek opportunities to transfer relevant research findings and
technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle
sectors.
SEC. 205. REPEAL OF EXISTING AUTHORITIES.
(a) In General.--Sections 706, 711, 712, and 933 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16051, 16061, 16062, 16233) are repealed.
(b) Energy Efficiency.--Section 911 of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16191) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``vehicles,
buildings,'' and inserting ``buildings''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by striking subparagraph (A); and
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (B)
through (E) as subparagraphs (A) through (D),
respectively; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking paragraph (3);
(B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph
(3); and
(C) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by
striking ``(a)(2)(D)'' and inserting ``(a)(2)(C)''.
(c) Energy Storage Competitiveness.--Section 641 of the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (j);
(2) by redesignating subsections (k) through (p) as
subsections (j) through (o), respectively; and
(3) in subsection (o) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and;'' after
the semicolon at the end;
(B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``and'' after
the semicolon at the end;
(C) by striking paragraph (5);
(D) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph
(5); and
(E) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), by
striking ``subsection (k)'' and inserting ``subsection
(j)''.
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