The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $4 million for research projects on medium- and heavy-duty natural gas engine technologies. As the department explains, its Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) funds early-stage, high-risk research to generate knowledge upon which industry can develop and deploy innovative transportation energy technologies that improve efficiency, lower costs for families and businesses, and increase the use of secure, domestic energy sources.
The DOE says opportunities exist to improve performance, reliability, durability, cost effectiveness, and efficiency of natural gas vehicles through research. Cost-effectively achieving diesel-like efficiency in natural gas engines while meeting current and future emissions standards will improve the viability of natural gas-fueled medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, the department adds.
A public workshop on natural gas vehicles was held at the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory on July 25 to identify early-stage research needs for natural gas engines. A summary of the key observations can be found here. VTO is seeking projects to address barriers to the adoption of natural gas vehicles through early-stage research. Projects competitively selected through this funding opportunity will complement additional early-stage research on medium- and heavy-duty natural gas engine technologies at DOE national laboratories.
For more information and application requirements, visit the EERE Exchange website or Grants.gov.