Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would make significant investments in the research and development of transformational mobility technologies.
The Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act, H.R. 9022, would reauthorize an advanced vehicle technologies program at the Department of Energy (DOE) for vehicle fueling, energy storage, and workforce development. The legislation was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).
The program would improve vehicle batteries for extremely fast charging and wireless charging capabilities; test advanced battery safety protection systems for high voltage power and heat; explore the efficient use, substitution, and recycling of critical materials in vehicles; enable technologies for flexible manufacturing facilities that can accommodate different vehicle battery chemistries; increase the production rate while decreasing the cost of advanced battery and hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing and hydrogen fueling infrastructure; and analyze the opportunities of advanced mobility solutions, communication, and connectivity among vehicles, infrastructure, pedestrians, and the electrical grid.
The program also would advance biofuel technologies; leverage machine learning for manufacturing; advance computing systems and connectivity for vehicular on-board, off-board, and edge computing applications; boost higher efficiency manufacturing processes to produce sustainable lightweight materials for fabrication, assembly, and use; and educate the public on the energy outcomes of automation and connected vehicle technologies, connected infrastructure, and mobility applied sensors.