[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1408 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1408

 To provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and 
  commercial application in vehicle technologies at the Department of 
                                Energy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 20, 2015

 Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Alexander, and Ms. Stabenow) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                    on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for a program of research, development, demonstration, and 
  commercial application in vehicle technologies at the Department of 
                                Energy.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Vehicle Innovation 
Act of 2015''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Objectives.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
Sec. 5. Authorization of appropriations.
               TITLE I--VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Sec. 101. Program.
Sec. 102. Sensing and communications technologies.
Sec. 103. Manufacturing.
Sec. 104. User testing facilities.
Sec. 105. Reporting.
    TITLE II--MEDIUM- AND HEAVY-DUTY COMMERCIAL AND TRANSIT VEHICLES

Sec. 201. Program.
Sec. 202. Class 8 truck and trailer systems demonstration.
Sec. 203. Technology testing and metrics.
Sec. 204. Nonroad systems pilot program.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Energy Information Administration, the 
        transportation sector accounts for approximately 28 percent of 
        the United States primary energy demand and greenhouse gas 
        emissions, and 21 percent of global oil demand.
            (2) The United States transportation sector is over 90-
        percent dependent on petroleum.
            (3) United States heavy truck fuel consumption will 
        increase 27 percent by 2030.
            (4) The domestic automotive and commercial vehicle 
        manufacturing sectors have increasingly limited resources for 
        research, development, and engineering of advanced 
        technologies.
            (5) Vehicle, engine, and component manufacturers are 
        playing a more important role in vehicle technology 
        development, and should be better integrated into Federal 
        research efforts.
            (6) Priorities for the vehicle technologies research of the 
        Department of Energy have shifted drastically in recent years 
        among diesel hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and plug-in 
        electric hybrids, with little continuity among them.
            (7) The integration of vehicle, communication, and 
        infrastructure technologies has great potential for efficiency 
        gains through better management of the total transportation 
        system.
            (8) The Federal Government should balance its role in 
        researching longer-term exploratory concepts and developing 
        nearer-term transformational technologies for vehicles.

SEC. 3. OBJECTIVES.

    The objectives of this Act are--
            (1) to develop United States technologies and practices 
        that--
                    (A) improve the fuel efficiency and emissions of 
                all vehicles produced in the United States; and
                    (B) reduce vehicle reliance on petroleum-based 
                fuels;
            (2) to support domestic research, development, engineering, 
        demonstration, and commercial application and manufacturing of 
        advanced vehicles, engines, and components;
            (3) to enable vehicles to move larger volumes of goods and 
        more passengers with less energy and emissions;
            (4) to develop cost-effective advanced technologies for 
        wide-scale utilization throughout the passenger, commercial, 
        government, and transit vehicle sectors;
            (5) to allow for greater consumer choice of vehicle 
        technologies and fuels;
            (6) shorten technology development and integration cycles 
        in the vehicle industry;
            (7) to ensure a proper balance and diversity of Federal 
        investment in vehicle technologies; and
            (8) to strengthen partnerships between Federal and State 
        governmental agencies and the private and academic sectors.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for 
research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial 
application of vehicles and related technologies in the United States, 
including activities authorized under this Act--
            (1) for fiscal year 2015, $301,506,000;
            (2) for fiscal year 2016, $313,567,000;
            (3) for fiscal year 2017, $326,109,000;
            (4) for fiscal year 2018, $339,154,000;
            (5) for fiscal year 2019, $352,720,000; and
            (6) for fiscal year 2020, $366,829,000.

               TITLE I--VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

SEC. 101. PROGRAM.

    (a) Activities.--The Secretary shall conduct a program of basic and 
applied research, development, engineering, demonstration, and 
commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and 
processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate 
petroleum use and the emissions of the Nation's passenger and 
commercial vehicles, including activities in the areas of--
            (1) hybridization or full electrification of vehicle 
        systems;
            (2) batteries and other energy storage devices;
            (3) power electronics;
            (4) vehicle, component, and subsystem manufacturing 
        technologies and processes;
            (5) engine efficiency and combustion optimization;
            (6) waste heat recovery;
            (7) transmission and drivetrains;
            (8) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells and 
        internal combustion engines, and hydrogen infrastructure, 
        including hydrogen energy storage to enable renewables and 
        provide hydrogen for fuel and power;
            (9) natural gas vehicle technologies;
            (10) aerodynamics, rolling resistance (including tires and 
        wheel assemblies), and accessory power loads of vehicles and 
        associated equipment;
            (11) vehicle weight reduction, including lightweighting 
        materials and the development of manufacturing processes to 
        fabricate, assemble, and use dissimilar materials;
            (12) friction and wear reduction;
            (13) engine and component durability;
            (14) innovative propulsion systems;
            (15) advanced boosting systems;
            (16) hydraulic hybrid technologies;
            (17) engine compatibility with and optimization for a 
        variety of transportation fuels including natural gas and other 
        liquid and gaseous fuels;
            (18) predictive engineering, modeling, and simulation of 
        vehicle and transportation systems;
            (19) refueling and charging infrastructure for alternative 
        fueled and electric or plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, 
        including the unique challenges facing rural areas;
            (20) gaseous fuels storage systems and system integration 
        and optimization;
            (21) sensing, communications, and actuation technologies 
        for vehicle, electrical grid, and infrastructure;
            (22) efficient use, substitution, and recycling of 
        potentially critical materials in vehicles, including rare 
        earth elements and precious metals, at risk of supply 
        disruption;
            (23) aftertreatment technologies;
            (24) thermal management of battery systems;
            (25) retrofitting advanced vehicle technologies to existing 
        vehicles;
            (26) development of common standards, specifications, and 
        architectures for both transportation and stationary battery 
        applications;
            (27) advanced internal combustion engines;
            (28) mild hybrid;
            (29) engine down speeding; and
            (30) other research areas as determined by the Secretary.
    (b) Transformational Technology.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
the Department continues to support research, development, engineering, 
demonstration, and commercial application activities and maintains 
competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies 
with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and 
emissions, including activities in the areas of--
            (1) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells, 
        hydrogen storage, infrastructure, and activities in hydrogen 
        technology validation and safety codes and standards;
            (2) multiple battery chemistries and novel energy storage 
        devices, including nonchemical batteries and electromechanical 
        storage technologies such as hydraulics, flywheels, and 
        compressed air storage;
            (3) communication and connectivity among vehicles, 
        infrastructure, and the electrical grid; and
            (4) other innovative technologies research and development, 
        as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Industry Participation.--To the maximum extent practicable, 
activities under this Act shall be carried out in partnership or 
collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial, 
vocational, and transit vehicle manufacturers, qualified plug-in 
electric vehicle manufacturers, compressed natural gas vehicle 
manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and component 
manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced vehicle 
service providers, fuel producers and energy suppliers, electric 
utilities, universities, national laboratories, and independent 
research laboratories. In carrying out this Act the Secretary shall--
            (1) determine whether a wide range of companies that 
        manufacture or assemble vehicles or components in the United 
        States are represented in ongoing public private partnership 
        activities, including firms that have not traditionally 
        participated in federally sponsored research and development 
        activities, and where possible, partner with such firms that 
        conduct significant and relevant research and development 
        activities in the United States;
            (2) leverage the capabilities and resources of, and 
        formalize partnerships with, industry-led stakeholder 
        organizations, nonprofit organizations, industry consortia, and 
        trade associations with expertise in the research and 
        development of, and education and outreach activities in, 
        advanced automotive and commercial vehicle technologies;
            (3) develop more effective processes for transferring 
        research findings and technologies to industry;
            (4) give consideration to conversion of existing or former 
        vehicle technology development or manufacturing facilities for 
        the purposes of this Act;
            (5) support public-private partnerships, dedicated to 
        overcoming barriers in commercial application of 
        transformational vehicle technologies, that utilize such 
        industry-led technology development facilities of entities with 
        demonstrated expertise in successfully designing and 
        engineering pre-commercial generations of such transformational 
        technology; and
            (6) promote efforts to ensure that technology research, 
        development, engineering, and commercial application activities 
        funded under this Act are carried out in the United States.
    (d) Interagency and Intraagency Coordination.--To the maximum 
extent practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application activities 
among--
            (1) relevant programs within the Department, including--
                    (A) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
                Energy;
                    (B) the Office of Science;
                    (C) the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
                Reliability;
                    (D) the Office of Fossil Energy;
                    (E) the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy; 
                and
                    (F) other offices as determined by the Secretary; 
                and
            (2) relevant technology research and development programs 
        within other Federal agencies, as determined by the Secretary.
    (e) Coordination and Nonduplication.--In coordinating activities 
the Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that 
activities do not duplicate those of other programs within the 
Department or other relevant research agencies.
    (f) Federal Demonstration of Technologies.--The Secretary shall 
make information available to procurement programs of Federal agencies 
regarding the potential to demonstrate technologies resulting from 
activities funded through programs under this Act.
    (g) Intergovernmental Coordination.--The Secretary shall seek 
opportunities to leverage resources and support initiatives of State 
and local governments in developing and promoting advanced vehicle 
technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure.
    (h) Criteria.--When awarding grants under this program, the 
Secretary shall give priority to those technologies (either 
individually or as part of a system) that--
            (1) provide the greatest aggregate fuel savings based on 
        the reasonable projected sales volumes of the technology; and
            (2) provide the greatest increase in United States 
        employment.

SEC. 102. SENSING AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES.

    The Secretary, in coordination with the relevant research programs 
of other Federal agencies, shall conduct research, development, 
engineering, demonstration, and deployment activities on connectivity 
of vehicle roadway, vulnerable road users, traffic control systems, and 
transportation data systems, including on sensing, data, computation, 
communication, cybersecurity, and actuation technologies that allow for 
improved safety, reduced energy and fuel use, optimized traffic flow, 
and vehicle electrification, including technologies for--
            (1) onboard vehicle, engine, transmission and component 
        sensing, actuation, and calibration;
            (2) vehicle-to-vehicle sensing and communication;
            (3) vehicle-to-infrastructure sensing and communication;
            (4) vehicle-to-pedestrian and vehicle-to-bicyclist sensing 
        and communication; and
            (5) vehicle integration with the electrical grid.

SEC. 103. MANUFACTURING.

    The Secretary shall carry out a research, development, engineering, 
demonstration, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle 
manufacturing technologies and practices, including innovative 
processes--
            (1) to increase the production rate and decrease the cost 
        of advanced battery and fuel cell manufacturing;
            (2) to vary the capability of individual manufacturing 
        facilities to accommodate different battery chemistries and 
        configurations;
            (3) to reduce waste streams, emissions, and energy 
        intensity of vehicle, engine, advanced battery and component 
        manufacturing processes;
            (4) to recycle and remanufacture used batteries and other 
        vehicle components for reuse in vehicles or stationary 
        applications;
            (5) to develop manufacturing processes to effectively 
        fabricate, assemble, and produce cost-effective lightweight 
        materials such as advanced aluminum and other metal alloys, 
        polymeric composites, and carbon fiber for use in vehicles;
            (6) to produce lightweight high pressure storage systems 
        for gaseous fuels;
            (7) to design and manufacture purpose-built hydrogen fuel 
        cell vehicles and components;
            (8) to improve the calendar life and cycle life of advanced 
        batteries; and
            (9) to produce permanent magnets for advanced vehicles.

SEC. 104. USER TESTING FACILITIES.

    Activities under this Act may include construction, expansion, or 
modification of new and existing vehicle, engine, and component 
research and testing facilities for--
            (1) testing or simulating interoperability of a variety of 
        vehicle components and systems, including the technologies 
        described in section 102;
            (2) subjecting whole or partial vehicle platforms to fully 
        representative duty cycles and operating conditions;
            (3) developing and demonstrating a range of chemistries and 
        configurations for advanced vehicle battery manufacturing;
            (4) developing and demonstrating test cycles for new and 
        alternative fuels, and other advanced vehicle technologies;
            (5) developing and demonstrating methods to charge electric 
        vehicles and connect them to the electric grid; and
            (6) developing, testing, and demonstrating hydrogen and 
        natural gas refueling station technologies.

SEC. 105. REPORTING.

    (a) Technologies Developed.--Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter through 2020, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report regarding the technologies 
developed as a result of the activities authorized by this title, with 
a particular emphasis on whether the technologies were successfully 
adopted for commercial applications, and if so, whether products 
relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United States.
    (b) Additional Matters.--At the end of each fiscal year through 
2020 the Secretary shall submit to the relevant Congressional 
committees of jurisdiction an annual report describing activities 
undertaken in the previous year under this title, active industry 
participants, efforts to recruit new participants committed to design, 
engineering, and manufacturing of advanced vehicle technologies in the 
United States, progress of the program in meeting goals and timelines, 
and a strategic plan for funding of activities across agencies.

    TITLE II--MEDIUM- AND HEAVY-DUTY COMMERCIAL AND TRANSIT VEHICLES

SEC. 201. PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, in partnership with relevant 
research and development programs in other Federal agencies, and a 
range of appropriate industry stakeholders, shall carry out a program 
of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-
duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles, 
including activities in the areas of--
            (1) engine efficiency and combustion research;
            (2) onboard storage technologies for compressed and 
        liquefied natural gas;
            (3) development and integration of engine technologies 
        designed for natural gas operation of a variety of vehicle 
        platforms;
            (4) waste heat recovery and conversion;
            (5) improved aerodynamics and tire rolling resistance;
            (6) energy and space-efficient emissions control systems;
            (7) mild hybrid, heavy hybrid, hybrid hydraulic, plug-in 
        hybrid, and electric platforms, and energy storage 
        technologies;
            (8) drivetrain optimization;
            (9) friction and wear reduction;
            (10) engine idle and parasitic energy loss reduction;
            (11) electrification of accessory loads;
            (12) onboard sensing and communications technologies;
            (13) advanced lightweighting materials and vehicle designs;
            (14) increasing load capacity per vehicle;
            (15) thermal management of battery systems;
            (16) recharging infrastructure;
            (17) compressed natural gas infrastructure;
            (18) advanced internal combustion engines;
            (19) complete vehicle and power pack modeling, simulation, 
        and testing;
            (20) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells 
        and internal combustion engines, and hydrogen infrastructure, 
        including hydrogen energy storage to enable renewables and 
        provide hydrogen for fuel and power;
            (21) retrofitting advanced technologies onto existing truck 
        fleets;
            (22) advanced boosting systems;
            (23) engine down speeding; and
            (24) integration of these and other advanced systems onto a 
        single truck and trailer platform.
    (b) Reporting.--At the end of each fiscal year through fiscal year 
2020, the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report 
describing activities undertaken in the previous year, active industry 
participants, efforts to recruit new participants, progress of the 
program in meeting goals and timelines, and a strategic plan for 
funding of activities across agencies.

SEC. 202. CLASS 8 TRUCK AND TRAILER SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a competitive grant 
program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced 
technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms, including a 
combination of technologies listed in section 201(a).
    (b) Applicant Teams.--Applicant teams may be comprised of truck and 
trailer manufacturers, engine and component manufacturers, fleet 
customers, university researchers, and other applicants as appropriate 
for the development and demonstration of integrated Class 8 truck and 
trailer systems.

SEC. 203. TECHNOLOGY TESTING AND METRICS.

    The Secretary, in coordination with the partners of the interagency 
research program described in section 201(a)--
            (1) shall develop standard testing procedures and 
        technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy 
        vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty 
        cycles and operating conditions, including for heavy hybrid 
        propulsion systems;
            (2) shall evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work 
        performance-based metrics other than those based on miles per 
        gallon, including those based on units of volume and weight 
        transported for freight applications, and appropriate metrics 
        based on the work performed by nonroad systems; and
            (3) may construct heavy duty truck and bus testing 
        facilities.

SEC. 204. NONROAD SYSTEMS PILOT PROGRAM.

    The Secretary shall undertake a pilot program of research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies 
to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad mobile 
equipment including agricultural, construction, air, and sea port 
equipment, and shall seek opportunities to transfer relevant research 
findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment 
and vehicle sectors.
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