To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reauthorize the battery processing and manufacturing program, and for other purposes.

To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reauthorize the battery processing and manufacturing program, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. Short title.

SEC. 2. Definitions.

(1) ALTERNATIVE FUEL.—The term “alternative fuel” means a fuel that results in a significant reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutant emissions compared to conventional fuel options.

(2) DEPARTMENT.—The term “Department” means the Department of Energy.

(3) SECRETARY.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy.

SEC. 3. Battery processing and manufacturing.

(1) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (3)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) in clause (ii), by striking “and” at the end;

(II) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(III) by adding at the end the following:

“(iv) to invest in 1 or more workforce training or education consortia that support the battery, battery manufacturing, or critical mineral operations of local processing facilities, including eligible consortia described in section 28(c) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722a(c)) and regional innovation engines described in section 10388 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19108) involved in battery and mineral processing technologies.”;

(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and

(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:

“(C) APPLICATION.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity seeking a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary determines necessary.

“(ii) WORKFORCE SAFETY AND FIRE PLAN.—An application submitted under clause (i) shall include, within any required community benefits plan, a workforce safety and fire plan, which shall include conducting outreach to best prepare local first responders for any potential emergency needs related to their operations or workforce.”; and

(B) in paragraph (4)—

(i) by striking “There is” and inserting the following:

“(A) FISCAL YEARS 2022 THROUGH 2026.—There is”; and

(ii) by adding at the end the following:

“(B) FISCAL YEARS 2027 THROUGH 2031.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program and the program established under subsection (c) $6,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to remain available until expended, subject to the condition that not less than 33 percent shall be made available to support the program established under that subsection.”; and

(2) in subsection (c)—

(A) in paragraph (3)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) in clause (ii), by striking “and” at the end;

(II) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(III) by adding at the end the following:

“(iv) to invest in 1 or more workforce training or education consortia that support the battery, battery manufacturing, or critical mineral operations of local processing facilities, including eligible consortia described in section 28(c) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722a(c)) and regional innovation engines described in section 10388 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19108) involved in battery and mineral processing technologies.”;

(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and

(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:

“(C) APPLICATION.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity seeking a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary determines necessary.

“(ii) RISK MITIGATION PLAN.—An application submitted under clause (i) shall include a risk mitigation plan that includes workforce recruitment and retention, community engagement, and a workforce safety and fire plan, which shall include conducting outreach to best prepare local first responders for any potential emergency needs related to their operations or workforce.”; and

(B) in paragraph (4)—

(i) by striking “There is” and inserting the following:

“(A) FISCAL YEARS 2022 THROUGH 2026.—There is”; and

(ii) by adding at the end the following:

“(B) FISCAL YEARS 2027 THROUGH 2031.—For the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, the Secretary shall carry out the program using the amounts made available under subsection (b)(4)(B).”.

SEC. 4. Office of critical minerals and energy innovation.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) COVERED PROJECT.—The term “covered project” means a project funded or managed by the Department relating to—

(A) capacity expansion of manufacturing and energy supply chains for key energy technologies, including batteries, building and energy efficiency, critical minerals and recycling, energy generation and fuels, including geothermal, grid equipment, and industrial base capabilities essential for national defense;

(B) energy or productivity assessments of small and medium-sized manufacturers, clean energy supply chains, and academic institutions; and

(C) workforce development, recruitment, and training relating to subparagraphs (A) and (B).

(2) DIRECTOR.—The term “Director” means the head of the Office appointed under subsection (c).

(3) OFFICE.—The term “Office” means the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation established under subsection (b).

(b) Establishment.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an office, to be known as the “Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation”.

(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Office is to eliminate vulnerabilities in the United States energy supply chain for purposes of enduring energy resilience and independence—

(A) by catalyzing United States processing and manufacturing capacity;

(B) by reinvigorating the manufacturing workforce through education and training opportunities; and

(C) by generating data-backed supply chain insights to inform policies and private and public investments.

(3) INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—As applicable, the Director shall coordinate and collaborate with interagency partners, including the agencies described in subparagraph (B), on energy supply chain analysis that may be used to lessen vulnerabilities of the United States and allies of the United States.

(B) AGENCIES DESCRIBED.—The agencies referred to in subparagraph (A) are—

(i) the Department of Defense;

(ii) the National Security Council;

(iii) the Export-Import Bank of the United States;

(iv) the Development Finance Cooperation;

(v) the Department of the Treasury;

(vi) the United States Agency for International Development; and

(vii) the Department of Commerce.

(c) Director.—The Secretary shall appoint a Director to be head of the Office.

(d) Duties.—The Director shall, in coordination with the heads of relevant program offices of the Department, as appropriate—

(1) provide financial assistance to, administer, provide interagency coordination of, or conduct oversight of the administration of, as applicable, covered projects, including programs described in subsection (e);

(2) evaluate proposals for covered projects, including scope, technical specifications, maturity of design, funding profile, estimated costs, proposed schedule, proposed technical and financial milestones, and potential for commercial success based on economic and policy projections;

(3) recommend to the head of a program office of the Department, as appropriate, whether a proposal for a covered project will enhance the domestic energy supply chain;

(4) (A) conduct reviews of ongoing covered projects, including evaluating the progress of a covered project based on the proposed schedule and technical and financial milestones; and

(B) provide those reviews to the Secretary;

(5) provide analysis to Departmental leadership to ensure that the Department has a balanced portfolio of investments in covered projects;

(6) provide to the Secretary expertise and advice on policies and financial support for manufacturing and energy supply chains;

(7) assess lessons learned in overseeing covered projects and implement improvements in the process of evaluating and overseeing covered projects; and

(8) conduct outreach and technical assistance to entities that may best utilize the programs or analyses of the Office.

(e) Programs described.—Programs referred to in subsection (d)(1) are the following:

(1) The programs authorized under subsections (b), (c), (f)(3), and (f)(4) of section 40207 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18741).

(2) The advanced energy manufacturing and recycling grant program established under section 40209 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18742).

(3) The State manufacturing leadership program authorized under section 40534 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18814).

(4) Programs authorized under title III of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq.).

(5) The domestic manufacturing conversion grant program authorized under section 50143 of Public Law 117–169 (commonly referred to as the “Inflation Reduction Act”) (136 Stat. 2044).

(6) The extended product system rebate program authorized under section 1005 of the Energy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C. 6311 note; Public Law 116–260).

(7) The energy efficient transformer rebate program authorized under section 1006 of the Energy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C. 6317 note; Public Law 116–260).

(8) The rare earth demonstration facility established under section 7001(c) of the Energy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C. 13344(c)).

(9) Grants provided under subsections (b) and (i) of section 457 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17116).

(10) The qualifying advanced energy project credit under section 48C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as carried out pursuant to agreements with the Internal Revenue Service.

(11) Any programs authorized to be carried out by the Office after the date of enactment of this Act.

(f) Employees.—The Secretary may hire or align existing appropriate personnel for the operation of the Office.

(g) Coordination.—The Director shall coordinate with—

(1) project management, workforce development, capital programs, acquisition management, and energy information entities within the Department, including the Office of Project Management, the Office of State and Community Energy Programs, the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies, the Loan Programs Office, and the Office of Technology Transitions;

(2) the Energy Information Administration;

(3) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and

(4) professional organizations in project management, construction, cost estimation, capital markets, energy information, workforce development, and other relevant fields.

(h) Reports.—The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives an annual report that describes, for the year covered by the report—

(1) the activities carried out to implement this section;

(2) progress made by the Office to strengthen and scale the clean energy supply chains of the United States through—

(A) transformative manufacturing capacity investments;

(B) targeted workforce investments to build up the energy workforce of the future; and

(C) cutting-edge energy supply chain vulnerability and innovation analysis;

(3) a description of the processes and procedures used by the Office to evaluate proposals of covered projects and to oversee covered projects; and

(4) any recommended changes to—

(A) the processes and procedures described in paragraph (3); and

(B) the structure or duties of the Office.

SEC. 5. Grant program for processing of critical minerals and development of critical minerals and metals.

“(e) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.”.

SEC. 6. Reporting on the development of certain technologies.

(1) the activities undertaken pursuant to this Act, including—

(A) the status of public-private partnerships;

(B) the progress of the programs under sections 7, 8, 11, and 12 in meeting goals and timelines; and

(C) a strategic plan for funding activities across Federal agencies; and

(2) the technologies and knowledge developed and demonstrated as a result of those activities, with a particular emphasis on whether those technologies were successfully adopted for commercial applications, and if so, whether products relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United States.

SEC. 7. Advanced vehicle research and development.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) EXTREME-FAST CHARGING.—The term “extreme-fast charging” means recharging up to 80 percent of battery capacity in approximately 10 minutes or less.

(2) PROGRAM.—The term “program” means the research, development, and pilot scale demonstration program established under subsection (b).

(3) SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL.—The term “sustainable material” means material used throughout the consumer and industrial economy that can be produced in required volumes without—

(A) depleting nonrenewable resources; or

(B) disrupting the established steady-state equilibrium of the environment and key natural resource systems.

(4) TRANSFORMATIONAL NONROAD VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY.—The term “transformational nonroad vehicle technology” means an innovative technology that—

(A) enables advanced nonroad transportation, nonroad transportation components, and related energy technologies that have the potential to produce significantly lower emissions and greater energy savings than current commercial technologies;

(B) enables improved or expanded supply and production of domestic emission reducing fuels and components; or

(C) ensures the long term, secure, and sustainable supply of critical materials.

(b) Advanced vehicle research and development program.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support a research, development, and pilot scale demonstration program relating to more efficient, sustainable, resilient, safe, and domestically available technology, sustainable materials, and manufacturing processes for advanced vehicle technologies that have the potential—

(A) to substantially reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacture and use of passenger and commercial vehicles;

(B) to reduce the cost of vehicle manufacturing and ownership; and

(C) to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources.

(2) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall focus on research, development, and demonstration challenges across the full vehicle ecosystem (from the supply chain through manufacturing and end-of-life), including, to the maximum extent practicable, activities in the areas of—

(i) electrification of vehicle systems, including compact and efficient electric drivetrain systems;

(ii) power electronics, electric machines, and electric machine drive systems, which may include—

(I) electronic motors, including advanced inverters and motors that can be used for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles;

(II) magnetic materials, including permanent magnets with reduced or without critical materials;

(III) improvement of partial load efficiency;

(IV) design of power electronics and electric motor technologies that enable efficient recycling of critical materials; and

(V) assessment of potential impacts of various vehicle systems on electric propulsion performance, including potential impacts from AM/FM radio frequencies;

(iii) vehicle batteries and relevant systems, which may include—

(I) advanced batteries systems, ultracapacitors, and other competitive energy storage devices;

(II) common interconnection protocols, specifications, and architecture for transportation and stationary battery applications;

(III) energy density and capacity, recharging robustness, extreme-fast charging and wireless charging capabilities, and efficiencies to lower cost;

(IV) lifetime improvement and reduction of potential lifecycle impacts from advanced batteries;

(V) improvement of efficient use and reuse, substitution, and recycling of critical materials in vehicles, including rare earth elements and precious metals, at risk of supply disruption;

(VI) advanced battery protection systems for safe handling of high-voltage power and thermal management;

(VII) technologies that enable flexible manufacturing facilities that can accommodate different vehicle battery chemistries and configurations; and

(VIII) improvement of the efficiency and safety of the manufacturing of advanced batteries;

(iv) vehicle components and systems, including manufacturing technologies and processes, which may include—

(I) reducing or repurposing waste streams, reducing emissions, and reducing energy intensity of vehicle, engine, and advanced battery manufacturing processes; and

(II) increasing the production rate, and decreasing the cost of, advanced battery and hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing, including manufacturing of purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and components;

(v) hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles and fuel pathways, which may include—

(I) vehicle fuel cells and relevant systems, including power electronics systems to regulate fuel cell voltages;

(II) synthetic fuels from recycled carbon dioxide and net-zero carbon liquid fuels; and

(III) advanced biofuel technologies;

(vi) lubricants and accessory power loads for hybrid and electric vehicles after treatment technologies;

(vii) vehicle weight reduction, which may include the development of—

(I) more sustainable materials or cost-effective lightweight materials; and

(II) higher efficiency manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing, to produce sustainable materials or lightweight materials and fabricate, assemble, and use dissimilar materials, including—

(aa) lightweight systems that combine several existing vehicle components; and

(bb) voluntary, consensus-based standards for strategic lightweight materials;

(viii) improved vehicle recycling methods to increase the recycled material content of feedstocks used in raw material manufacturing;

(ix) vehicle propulsion systems, which may include—

(I) engine and component durability;

(II) engine down speeding;

(III) advanced internal combustion engines;

(IV) transmission gear and engine operation matching; and

(V) advanced transmission technologies;

(x) applying advanced computing resources to large, voluntarily provided industry datasets from providers and cities to support the development of predictive engineering, modeling, and simulation of components, vehicles, and transportation systems;

(xi) leveraging the use of machine learning toward manufacturing and additive manufacturing optimization, which may include assessing the efficiency and safety of manufacturing processes;

(xii) advanced computing systems, including energy efficient systems, technology, and networking, for vehicular onboard, off-board, and edge computing applications;

(xiii) assessing automation in both vehicle and infrastructure systems;

(xiv) infrastructure, which may include—

(I) refueling and charging infrastructure for alternative fueled and electric drive or plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, with consideration for the unique challenges facing urban and rural areas;

(II) extreme-fast charging, including through wired and wireless charging systems;

(III) integration, bidirectional capability, and operational optimization of vehicle electrification for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles with charging infrastructure and the electric grid; and

(IV) sensing, communications, and actuation technologies for vehicles, the electric grid, and infrastructure, which may include—

(aa) communication, onboard sensing, and connectivity among vehicles, infrastructure, pedestrians, and the electric grid;

(bb) assessing the use of autonomous vehicles or connectivity to improve roadway throughput; and

(cc) autonomous refueling and charging technologies and infrastructure;

(xv) retrofitting advanced vehicle technologies to existing vehicles;

(xvi) informing and educating the public on the energy benefits of automation, electrification, and connected vehicle technologies, connected infrastructure assets, and mobility applied sensors;

(xvii) reusing valuable components and materials, such as permanent magnets and other electric drive components for advanced vehicles;

(xviii) transportation system analysis to further understand the energy implications and opportunities of advanced mobility solutions and communication and connectivity among vehicles, infrastructure, pedestrians, and the electric grid; and

(xix) other innovative advanced vehicle technology-focused research and development, as determined by the Secretary.

(B) TECHNICAL MILESTONES.—The Secretary shall determine a comprehensive set of technical milestones for research and development carried out under the program.

(3) COORDINATION.—In carrying out paragraph (2), the Secretary shall coordinate with—

(A) the program established under section 137 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17014); and

(B) the program established under section 641(q) of the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231(q)).

(c) Nonroad transportation environmental and technical assistance research.—

(1) ACTIVITIES.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall support research, development, and demonstration activities to address and reduce nonroad sector emissions from transportation fuels used in aviation, rail, and maritime technologies and other relevant technologies.

(B) ENERGY INNOVATION HUB.—The activities described in subparagraph (A) may be carried out primarily by an Energy Innovation Hub established pursuant to section 206 of the Department of Energy Research Coordination Act (42 U.S.C. 18632).

(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the activities described in paragraph (1) shall be—

(A) to identify, study, evaluate, test, and demonstrate emerging transformational nonroad vehicle energy technologies and practices to improve environmental performance to meet Federal and international standards and guidelines, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water emissions, or other particulate or toxic emissions;

(B) to advance research, development, and demonstration activities—

(i) to overcome barriers in transformational nonroad vehicle energy technologies, including alternative fuels such as hydrogen, components, and other energy technologies, to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad mobile equipment; and

(ii) to increase the fuel economy and use of alternative fuels and alternative energy;

(C) to support opportunities to transfer relevant research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors; and

(D) to test relevant precommercial technologies.

(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary may coordinate the activities described in paragraph (1) with activities—

(A) that are associated with the development or approval of validation and testing regimes; and

(B) related to certification or validation of emerging energy technologies or practices that demonstrate significant environmental or other benefits to domestic non-road transportation industries.

(4) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, or other agreements with academic, public, private, and nongovernmental entities and facilities to carry out the activities described in paragraph (1).

(d) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall periodically review activities carried out under this section to determine the achievement of technical milestones, as determined by the Secretary.

(e) Technology testing and metrics.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary, in coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall—

(1) develop voluntary, consensus-based standard testing procedures, methodologies, and best practices for evaluating the performance of advanced vehicle technologies, including heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions, including for electrified and hydrogen fuel cell systems; and

(2) evaluate advanced vehicle performance, including heavy vehicle and nonroad vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics.

SEC. 8. Advanced on-road vehicle security program.

(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a research and development program focused on—

(1) the cybersecurity and physical security of interconnections between vehicles, vehicle energy storage systems, charging equipment, buildings, and the electric grid for—

(A) plug-in electric vehicles;

(B) connected vehicles;

(C) autonomous vehicles; and

(D) other relevant vehicles; and

(2) the security impacts, efficiency, and safety of plug-in electric vehicles using alternating current charging, high-power direct current fast charging, and extreme fast charging.

(b) Coordination.—The Secretary shall establish and carry out the program under subsection (a) in coordination with—

(1) the program established under section 7(b);

(2) the program established under section 137 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17014); and

(3) the heads of relevant Federal agencies.

(c) Assessment.—The Secretary shall develop a 5- to 10-year impact assessment of emergent cybersecurity threats to, and vulnerabilities of, the United States on-road transportation system and connected infrastructure by identifying—

(1) areas of research with respect to which Federal crossagency research coordination and cooperation may help address those threats and vulnerabilities; and

(2) current research and challenges associated with cyberphysical protection and resiliency of electric, connected, and automated vehicle technologies.

(d) Information To assess barriers in alternative fuel delivery, distribution, and transmission.—

(1) REQUEST.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish a request for information on the technical, economic, and knowledge barriers for delivery, distribution, and transmission of alternative fuels, including—

(A) barriers associated with electric grid load management and applications, including applications that will allow bidirectional batteries in plug-in electric drive vehicles to be used for grid storage, ancillary services provision, and backup power;

(B) barriers associated with integration of plug-in bidirectional electric drive vehicles with smart grid technology, including necessary equipment, and information technology systems;

(C) technical and economic barriers to delivery technologies for hydrogen and biofuels sufficient to support widespread consumer use; and

(D) any other barriers to installing sufficient and regionally appropriate alternative fuel recharging and refueling infrastructure, including sufficiency and efficient use of zero-emissions generation and transmission capabilities.

(2) USE OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall use information provided in response to the request under paragraph (1) to identify gaps in public and private research, development, and demonstration activities needed to be addressed to overcome the barriers described in that paragraph.

(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out paragraph (2), the Secretary shall coordinate with—

(A) State, local, and Tribal governments;

(B) stakeholders in academia and relevant industries; and

(C) the electric vehicle working group established under section 25006 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 151 note; Public Law 117–58).

(4) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report summarizing the findings under this subsection.

SEC. 9. Vehicle energy storage system safety program.

(a) In general.—In coordination with the program established under section 7(b), the Secretary shall support a program of research, development, and demonstration of vehicle energy storage safety and reliability.

(b) Activities.—In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall support activities—

(1) to examine the mechanisms that lead to vehicle energy storage system safety and reliability incidents;

(2) to develop new materials to improve overall vehicle energy storage system safety and abuse tolerance;

(3) to perform abuse testing;

(4) to advance and perform testing techniques;

(5) to demonstrate detailed failure analyses;

(6) to mitigate vehicle energy storage cell and system failures, including hydrogen fuel storage tank failures;

(7) to develop crush-induced battery safety protocols and technical standards to improve robustness;

(8) to develop suggested worker safety and emergency response procedures for hazards related to battery manufacturing;

(9) to develop new materials and equipment for battery hazard suppression and fire dangers; and

(10) to carry out other innovative energy storage safety-focused research and development, as determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 10. Advanced vehicle technologies advisory committee.

(a) Establishment.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Advanced Vehicle Technologies Advisory Committee (referred to in this section as the “advisory committee”) to advise the Secretary on vehicle technology and mobility system research advancements.

(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory committee shall be composed of not fewer than 15 members who are qualified to provide advice on the research, development, and demonstration activities under this Act (in this section referred to as the “DOE Vehicle Program”), including representatives from research and academic institutions, environmental organizations, industry, and nongovernmental entities, including relevant labor organizations and associations representing automobile manufacturers.

(b) Assessment.—The advisory committee shall assess—

(1) the current state of United States competitiveness in advancing vehicle technologies and mobility systems, including—

(A) the scope and scale of United States investments in sustainable and advanced transportation research, development, and demonstration; and

(B) the scope and scale of research, development, and demonstration activities to lower vehicle and fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions;

(2) progress made in implementing the DOE Vehicle Program, including progress toward meeting the technical milestones as determined by the Secretary pursuant to section 7;

(3) the balance of research and development activities and funding across the DOE Vehicle Program;

(4) the management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the DOE Vehicle Program;

(5) whether environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate issues are adequately addressed by the DOE Vehicle Program; and

(6) other relevant topics, as determined by the Secretary.

(c) Reports.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act and not less frequently than once every 3 years thereafter, the advisory committee shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report on—

(1) the findings of the assessments of the advisory committee under subsection (b); and

(2) the recommendations of the advisory committee for ways to improve or revise the DOE Vehicle Program.

(d) Application of Federal Advisory Committee Act.—Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the “Federal Advisory Committee Act”) (except for section 1013 of that title), shall apply to the advisory committee.

SEC. 11. Medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial and transit vehicles program.

(a) In general.—In coordination with the program established under section 7(b), the Secretary shall support a program of research, development, and demonstration activities of advanced energy technologies for medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles, on-road and nonroad, including, to the maximum extent practicable, activities in the areas of—

(1) vehicle engines, which may include—

(A) engine efficiency, emission controls, and combustion research;

(B) energy- and space-efficient emissions control systems;

(C) engine idle and parasitic energy loss reduction;

(D) advanced internal combustion engines; and

(E) engine down speeding;

(2) electric drivetrains, including—

(A) durable, highly efficient power electronics and electric machinery research;

(B) partial load efficiency improvements;

(C) control and coordination research for electric drive systems using multiple electric motors;

(D) regenerative braking to recoup braking energy; and

(E) high-fidelity modeling to accelerate design and adoption of electrified commercial vehicles;

(3) friction and wear reduction;

(4) improved aerodynamics and tire rolling resistance;

(5) advanced lightweighting materials and vehicle designs;

(6) synthetic fuels from recycled carbon dioxide and other net-zero carbon liquid fuels;

(7) vehicle batteries, including—

(A) complete vehicle and battery pack modeling, simulation, and testing; and

(B) thermal management of battery systems;

(8) mild hybrid, heavy hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric platforms and energy storage technologies, including—

(A) identifying and developing solutions for technical barriers to advance batteries;

(B) electric drive systems; and

(C) charging and refueling systems for medium-duty commercial and heavy-duty freight delivery vehicles;

(9) vehicle components, including—

(A) transmission and drivetrain optimization, including compact and efficient electric drivetrain systems;

(B) waste heat recovery and conversion;

(C) electrification of steering systems, braking systems, and accessory loads;

(D) onboard sensing, computing, and communications technologies; and

(E) advanced battery protection systems for safe handling of high voltage power;

(10) relevant infrastructure, including bidirectional capability, beyond megawatt charging, and increasing load capacity per vehicle;

(11) recharging infrastructure and compressed natural gas infrastructure;

(12) hydrogen vehicle technologies, including—

(A) fuel cells;

(B) hydrogen-fueling infrastructure;

(C) the development of medium-duty and heavy-duty refueling equipment design and concepts;

(D) synthetic fuels;

(E) onboard technologies for compressed and other advanced hydrogen storage systems; and

(F) advanced cooling technologies for fuel cell thermal management;

(13) retrofitting advanced energy technologies onto existing truck and bus fleets;

(14) assessment of automated and connected vehicle technologies;

(15) energy use strategies, including charging patterns that minimize impacts on the distribution grid and optimize the use of clean, low-cost generation resources; and

(16) integration of advanced systems onto a single truck and trailer platform or bus.

(b) Coordination.—In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall coordinate with appropriate industry stakeholders, including relevant labor organizations.

(c) Medium-Duty and heavy-Duty systems research, development, and demonstration.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award financial assistance for the research, development, and demonstration of the integration of multiple advanced energy technologies and advanced operational efficiency for medium-duty and heavy-duty platforms and trailers, including the integration of technologies described in subsection (a).

(2) APPLICANT.—Applicants applying for assistance under paragraph (1) include—

(A) truck and trailer manufacturers;

(B) engine and component manufacturers;

(C) hydrogen fuel cell and component manufacturers;

(D) public and private fleet owners and customers;

(E) university researchers; and

(F) other applicants, as determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 12. Energy-efficient mobility systems program.

(a) In general.—In coordination with the program established under section 7(b), the Secretary shall support a program of research, development, and demonstration of advanced energy-efficient mobility solutions that will address the potential energy impacts of advanced vehicle technologies throughout the transportation sector.

(b) Development of tools.—The program under subsection (a) shall include the development of tools, techniques, processes, and capabilities to understand and identify essential components to improve the energy productivity of integrated mobility systems.

(c) Activities.—In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall support activities—

(1) to improve the energy and mobility impacts of emerging and potentially disruptive technologies and services;

(2) to assess automated vehicle computing loads and capabilities;

(3) to improve onboard sensing and external connectivity, including vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-everything connectivity;

(4) to maximize vehicle energy efficiency for connected vehicles under real-world driving conditions;

(5) to assess methods to use autonomous vehicles or connectivity to improve roadway throughput;

(6) to research advance autonomous refueling and charging technologies and infrastructure;

(7) to apply machine learning with high-performance computing resources to large industry datasets from providers and cities to develop predictive capabilities for the transportation system;

(8) to optimize systems for mobility, grid, and buildings to support vehicle electrification and vehicle automation from light-duty to heavy-duty vehicles, with grid stability, demand response, and reliability; and

(9) to carry out other innovative, energy-focused research and development, as determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 13. Coordination.

(a) In general.—In carrying out the activities under this Act, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate research, development, and demonstration activities among—

(1) relevant programs of the Department, including programs carried out by—

(A) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy;

(B) the Office of Science;

(C) the Office of Electricity;

(D) the Office of Fossil Energy;

(E) the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response;

(F) the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy;

(G) the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations;

(H) the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation established under section 4(b); and

(I) other offices of the Department, as determined by the Secretary; and

(2) relevant technology research and development programs of other Federal agencies, including—

(A) the Department of Transportation;

(B) the National Institute of Standards and Technology;

(C) the National Science Foundation;

(D) the Department of Defense; and

(E) other Federal agencies, as determined by the Secretary.

(b) Intergovernmental coordination.—In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall seek opportunities to leverage resources and support initiatives of Federal, State, and local governments in developing advanced vehicle technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

SEC. 14. Authorization of appropriations.

(1) for fiscal year 2027, $530,000,000;

(2) for fiscal year 2028, $556,500,000;

(3) for fiscal year 2029, $584,325,000;

(4) for fiscal year 2030, $613,541,250; and

(5) for fiscal year 2031, $644,218,312.