Success Stories
NREL understands real-world factors impacting industry and consumer adoption of sustainable transportation solutions, resulting in an impressive record of breaking down barriers to accelerate development and deployment of new transportation technologies. The success stories below provide a snapshot of how NREL research, development, and deployment activities translate into more energy-efficient vehicles and cleaner burning fuels, providing viable options to meet the needs of manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and drivers.
End-User Technical Assistance and Outreach
NREL experts support regional and municipal organizations with technical advice, market barrier identification and eradication, policy and compliance guidance, partnership cultivation, and stakeholder engagement.
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology
NREL's hydrogen production, storage, and infrastructure RD&D, paired with fuel cell technologies research, are accelerating the progress of these vehicles to market.
Fuel, Engine, and Infrastructure Co-Optimization
NREL's in-depth exploration of the interface of fuel chemistry, ignition kinetics, combustion, and emissions examines ways to maximize the energy delivered by and minimize emissions associated with biofuels, natural gas, propane, and petroleum-based fuel, while ensuring fuels' compatibility with infrastructure.
Materials Science
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Technology Evaluation and Deployment
NREL's real-world-based guidance helps manufacturers develop and fleet managers deploy energy-efficient, emissions-reducing technologies and operational practices for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Sustainable Mobility
NREL's Sustainable Mobility Initiative approaches sustainable transportation as a network of travelers, services, and environments—rather than just vehicles and roads—using connectivity and automation to optimize mobility and significantly reduce related energy consumption.
Thermal Management
NREL thermal management research focuses on energy storage, power electronic, and climate control system operating temperatures to improve vehicle performance, range, reliability, lifespan, and affordability.
Transportation Data, Analysis, and Tools
NREL provides the nation's most credible and complete transportation energy-efficiency clearinghouse for validated, up-to-date statistics, data analysis, and tools, pairing information from government and private-sector partners with expertise in analysis and applications.
Vehicle-to-Grid Integration
NREL researchers are developing and evaluating fully integrated systems that connect cars, power grids, and renewable energy sources to deliver cleaner, more sustainable transportation options.
