The Vehicle Technologies Program supports the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to strengthen America's energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality through public-private partnerships that:
- Enhance energy efficiency and productivity.
- Bring clean, reliable, and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace.
- Make a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life.
To that end, Vehicle Technologies Program professionals work with industry leaders to develop and deploy advanced transportation technologies that could achieve significant improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency and displace oil with other fuels that ultimately can be domestically produced in a clean and cost-competitive manner. Program activities include research, development, demonstration, testing, technology validation, technology transfer, and education.
The Program supports, and works through, two major government-industry endeavors with the following goals:
- The goal of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership is fundamental and dramatic — the development of emission- and petroleum-free cars and light trucks and the infrastructure to support them. The Partnership focuses on the high-risk research needed to develop the necessary technologies, such as fuel cells and advanced hybrid propulsion systems, to provide a full range of affordable cars and light trucks that are free of foreign oil and harmful emissions — and that do not sacrifice freedom of mobility and freedom of vehicle choice.
- To address the R&D needs of commercial vehicles, the goal of the 21st Century Truck Partnership is for our nation's trucks and buses to safely and cost-effectively move larger volumes of freight and greater numbers of passengers while emitting little or no pollution, with dramatic reduction in dependence on imported oil.
There is a track record of success with the research and development (R&D) supported by FCVT and its predecessor organization, the Office of Transportation Technologies. For more information, see Success Stories and Awards and Patents.