§13435 Electric Motor Vehicles and Associated Equipment Research and Development

Summary

The Secretary must run a research and development program on electric motor vehicles and related equipment. The program must work with the electric utility industry, car makers, battery makers, and others the Secretary chooses. The Secretary must write a 5-year plan and update it every two years for at least 10 years after October 24, 1992. That plan must be made with input from EPA, the Department of Transportation, Commerce, other federal agencies, industry groups, and others. The plan must set research priorities (like batteries), list program parts and who does what, give technical goals for each year, estimate costs by year and agency, explain how technology will be shared, and describe how non-federal groups can take part. The plan had to be sent to Congress within 180 days after October 24, 1992, and updates must be sent every two years. Within one year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary must ask for proposals for cooperative agreements, and can ask for more later if useful. The Secretary may make cooperative agreements in areas such as efficient electric drivetrains and hybrids, lightweight vehicle structures, advanced batteries and fuel cells, and photovoltaics. Any cooperative project must be at least 50 percent funded by non-federal sources (cash, work, equipment, or other support) unless the Secretary lowers that share because of high technical risk or to meet program goals. The Secretary must run a program to speed up use of advanced batteries, including making an inventory of technologies and creating an information exchange (workshops, publications, conferences, and a public database). The Secretary must make rules, with Commerce, so participating manufacturers do not discriminate against U.S. parts makers. Activities started before October 24, 1992, are not changed. The Secretary must consult with EPA and Transportation when carrying out the work. The Secretary must also run cooperative fuel cell research and demonstration programs for transportation. Priority will be given to projects that could be commercial soon, can use renewable or nonfossil fuels, cut emissions and save energy, use DOD or NASA advances, or build on other electric vehicle and fuel cell work. Projects must cover many vehicle types (passenger cars, vans, light rail, trucks, buses, marine vessels, certain refrigeration, generators, and other mobile equipment). Programs must be started in fiscal years 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996 so work is underway for each application by the end of that period. Definitions (one line each): advanced battery technology — electrochemical storage devices and related charging/regeneration tech; associated equipment — gear for recharging, refueling, or regenerating vehicle power sources; electric motor vehicle — a vehicle mainly powered by an electric motor using batteries, fuel cells, solar arrays, or similar; electric-hybrid vehicle — a vehicle mainly electric but that also uses a non-electric power source.