DOE

Federal Agency to participate in the World's First Large-Scale Market Test of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

WASHINGTON, D.C. 2008-05-27 -- With the addition of a Chevy Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle to its fleet of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today joined the team of pioneers - from regular families to media, celebrities and businesses - helping to make fuel cell vehicles a reality.

Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

Teams to Re-engineer Saturn VUE SUVs with Advanced Propulsion Technologies

Washington, 2008-05-21 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), General Motors and Natural Resources Canada today announced the 17 teams selected to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a collegiate vehicle engineering competition set to begin in the Fall of 2008. EcoCAR will challenge university engineering students across North America to re-engineer a Saturn VUE to achieve improved fuel economy and reduced green house gas emissions, while retaining the vehicle's performance and consumer appeal.

The Ohio State University awarded third place for its power-split hybrid electric vehicle

Washington, D.C., 2008-05-21 - Mississippi State University, for the second consecutive year, has earned top honors in General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Challenge X student engineering competition. Over the past nine months, the 2008 Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainability competition challenged 17 university teams from the U.S. and Canada to reengineer a Chevrolet Equinox that employs advanced powertrain technologies.

May 20, 2008 -- The DOE Hydrogen Program has released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in support of the H-Prize (Section 654 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007). Through the H-Prize, DOE will competitively award cash prizes to advance the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies.

It's What's Inside That Counts

Detroit, Mich., 2008-05-08 – With rising gas prices, today’s car buyers admit fuel efficiency and diversity is not just a necessity, it’s also fashion forward. If Americans had to choose between driving a car that was beautiful on the outside vs. one that was “greener” on the inside, nearly eight in 10 Americans (79 percent) who plan to buy or lease a car within the next two years would choose the greener car.

These and more compelling statistics are a result of a national survey recently conducted by Challenge X – a national collegiate engineering competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM).

Exclusive Opportunity to See Collegiate Advanced Technology Vehicles Equipped with Biodiesel, Ethanol and Hydrogen in Action

2008-05-07 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM) will host a behind-the-scenes opportunity to see the vehicles from the collegiate engineering competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility in action.

The event is May 15, at Old Bridge Township Motorsports Park and is a stop on a road rally from New Jersey to Washington, D.C. Seventeen Chevrolet Equinoxes have been re-engineered by student teams using a range of cutting-edge clean vehicle technologies such as hybrid, plug-in or fuel cell propulsion systems. The vehicles are powered by alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol and hydrogen.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ, April 14, 2008 -- BMW announces its latest milestone in its pursuit of the hydrogen future, the BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel, featuring an internal combustion engine in the BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel that produces near zero emissions while, at the same time, combusting ambient air pollutants. Based on the BMW Hydrogen 7 bi-fuel version (gasoline and hydrogen), the new mono-fuel vehicle's internal combustion engine is optimized to run solely on hydrogen and shares the performance, comfort, and safety qualities of every production BMW 7 Series. One of the BMW Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel vehicles is featured in the BMW Booth at the 2008 SAE World Congress being held this week in Detroit.

Press Opportunity to Drive Michigan Tech Vehicle

2008-04-11 -- General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer a ride-and-drive of the Michigan Technical University vehicle from the collegiate engineering competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility, at GM's world headquarters at the Renaissance Center. Members of the MTU team will be available for interviews to discuss the program.

The press ride-and-drive will be held Tuesday, April 15, 2008 from 6 to 10 a.m.

January 15, 2008 -- The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a solicitation for applied research and development projects addressing viable hydrogen storage technologies for on-board vehicular applications to complement the existing National Hydrogen Storage Project portfolio. Projects may support existing DOE Hydrogen Storage Centers of Excellence or may be independent R&D projects. The total funding available for all new awards is $6 million.

Additional information for industry, academia, and other interested parties is offered via funding opportunity DE-PS36-08GO98004P. Additional information for national laboratories is offered via funding opportunity DE-PS36-08GO98005P.

The pre-application submission deadline is February 28, 2008.

December 12, 2007 -- The deadline for the hydrogen education development funding opportunity has been extended to Jan. 3, 2008. Applications must be accessed, completed, and submitted through Grants.gov to be considered for award.

The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Education Subprogram seeks to facilitate near-term market transformation and future commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cells by providing technically accurate and objective information to key target audiences. In support of these efforts, the Education Subprogram has issued a funding opportunity announcement for the following topic areas:

* State and local government outreach: "Hydrogen 101," building state and local government partnerships
* Early deployment and education

Average Retail Gasoline Price at $3 a Gallon

December 12, 2007 -- Despite an increase yesterday, the spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has dropped over the last three weeks, from nearly $100 per barrel on November 20, to under $90 per barrel for most of last week. So, will crude oil prices continue to drop, and if so, how low might they fall?

While forecasting oil prices is a difficult task, EIA, in its just released December 2007 Short-Term Energy Outlook, projects the WTI spot crude oil price falling to about $86 per barrel by the end of winter. To understand this projection, it is important to look at some of the reasons behind the latest decline in crude oil prices.

Retail Gasoline Price Slightly Lower, Diesel Price Sets Record

November 28, 2007 -- Many readers are familiar with Garrison Keillor’s phrase used on radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” series, “Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”

November 26, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) on potential topic areas for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of fuel cell technologies for automotive, stationary, portable power, and early market applications.

The DOE is requesting comments on the technical topic areas described in the RFI and is also accepting suggestions for other fuel cell RD&D topic areas. Feedback from the fuel cell research community and other relevant stakeholders will be used to assist in the development of a planned Fuel Cell Funding Opportunity Announcement for anticipated awards in FY 2009.

November 26, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will hold a Fuel Cell Pre-Solicitation Workshop on January 23-24, 2008 at the DOE Golden Field Office in Golden, CO. DOE invites the fuel cell research community and other stakeholders to participate in a discussion of the most relevant fuel cell technology research, development, and demonstration topics appropriate for government funding in automotive, stationary, portable power, and early market applications.

Input from workshop participants and from the DOE Request for Information will be used to assist in the development of a planned Fuel Cell Funding Opportunity Announcement with awards anticipated in FY 2009.

November 7, 2007 -- One of the most discussed topics in the media today, besides the 2008 Presidential races, is the high price of oil. Crude oil prices have increased dramatically this year, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices climbing from an average of nearly $55 per barrel in January to over $95 per barrel at the beginning of this month.

November 5, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Energy released a new Web page that provides a partner directory and up-to-date information about a solicitation for the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence (CoE). The CoE will focus on the research and development of on-board vehicular hydrogen storage systems that allow for a driving range of greater than 300 miles.

Visit the page for technical information, meeting materials, and a partner directory that matches potential research partners. New information about the solicitation will be added to the page as it becomes available.

Website: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/engineering_center.html

Source: U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program

Gasoline Prices Rise and Diesel Price Ties Record High

October 23, 2007 -- The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Education Subprogram seeks to facilitate near-term market transformation and future commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cells by providing technically accurate and objective information to key target audiences. In support of these efforts, the Education subprogram has issued a funding opportunity announcement for the following topic areas:

* State and Local Government Outreach: "Hydrogen 101," state and local government partnership building
* Early Deployment and Education
* University Programs

Total estimated funding available is $4.5M pending Congressional Appropriations, with an expectation of up to 13 selected projects and an individual award ceiling of $2.75M.

Numbers reflect new fuel economy testing methods

Washington, D.C., Oct. 12, 2007 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released the 2008 Fuel Economy Guide to help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles.

"Today's consumers expect the biggest bang for their buck. By fueling them with information on this year's fleet of vehicles, we are putting Americans in the driver's seat to save money at the pump and protect our environment," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "As we see in the wide range of fuel efficient leaders, 'going green' can fit the needs of any lifestyle."

October 11, 2007 -- The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE)has issued a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I funding opportunity notice that includes a hydrogen, fuel cells, and infrastructure technologies topic.

The SBIR subtopic are:

1. Hydrogen from waste,
2. Development of a sulfur dioxide electrolyzer for the hybrid sulfur hydrogen production process,
3. Bio-fueled solid oxide fuel cell, and
4. Manufacturing of bipolar plates.

Phase I grants up to $100,000 will be competitively awarded for evaluating the commercial potential of various technologies. Applications must be submitted via grants.gov by November 27, 2007, 8:00 p.m. EST.

Source: DoE's Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program