The Vehicle Technologies Program funds technology development that (1) supports mid-term automotive and truck fuel economy improvements and emissions reduction while (2) aiding the longer term transition to a hydrogen-based transportation system.
There is great potential for improving fuel economy in highway vehicles — experts believe that by 2025, the oil savings potential for Vehicle Technologies Program-supported technologies could be in the range of 4.5 to nearly 6 billion barrels per day, depending on when fuel cell vehicles become widely available in the commercial marketplace. In the longer term, we could reduce our demand for oil by 11 billion barrels of oil per day by 2040.
Many different paths exist in the journey to a future that provides personal and transport mobility with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the path and timing will vary depending on the vehicle type. The Vehicle Technologies Program does not build cars and trucks. Rather, it supports much of the research and development behind the technologies that improve energy efficiency, increase the use of advanced petroleum and non-petroleum fuels, and reduce emissions.