The vision of the Propulsion Materials Program is to identify and provide improved and new materials to enable cost-effective, highly energy-efficient automotive propulsion systems with high durability, reliability, and low emissions. The program partners with the Office of Vehicle Technologies programs for Power Electronics and Electric Machines and for Combustion and Emissions Control for Advanced CIDI Engines to address materials concerns that directly impact the critical technical barriers in each of these programs - barriers such as thermal management, emissions reduction, and reduced manufacturing costs.

Specifically, the Propulsion Materials Program focuses on enabling materials technologies that are critical in removing barriers to the power electronics and compression-ignition, direct-injection (CIDI) engine and emissions control research programs. The program supports these two core technology areas by providing materials expertise, testing capabilities, and technical solutions for materials problems. The component development, materials processing, and characterization that the program provides are enablers of the successful development of efficient electric drive systems and emissions-compliant CIDI engines.

This program continues the work of the Automotive Propulsion Materials and Heavy Vehicles Propulsion Materials activities that were combined in FY2008.