DOE Announces $59 Million and 43 projects to Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research:

For Immediate Release: 8/16/19
Salt Lake City, Utah

DOE Announces $59 Million and 43 projects to Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research:

Two Utah Advanced Vehicle Projects are Selected to be Funded

Today, U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes announced $59 million for 43 projects for new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies research. Funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects address priorities in advanced batteries and electric drive systems, co-optimized engine and fuel technologies, materials for more efficient powertrains, and alternative fuels and new energy efficient mobility systems. These projects support the Energy Department’s goals to strengthen national security, support American energy dominance, enable future economic growth, and increase transportation affordability for all Americans.

Annually, vehicles transport 11 billion tons of freight – more than $35 billion worth of goods each day – and move people more than 3 trillion vehicle-miles. The average U.S. household spends nearly one-fifth of its total family expenditures on transportation, making it the most expensive spending category after housing. For example, projects selected today will accelerate the development of lithium-metal solid
state batteries (materials, tools, and modeling), novel materials and designs for advanced electric motors, and combine new powertrain materials with new combustion regimes to significantly improve fuel economy.

“Vehicles drive our national economy,” said Under Secretary Menezes. “At DOE, we support a broad portfolio of technologies, generating the knowledge needed for industry to further develop and commercialize affordable, secure, and reliable transportation systems.”
Utah Clean Cities and their large stakeholder base in Utah and throughout the region have generated the support needed with key partnerships and have secured solid support for the grants.

“When the private and public sector collaborate and apply pioneering thinking and state-of-the art technologies to address challenges, we build sustainable communities, demonstrate true leadership and empower our citizens in to meaningful action. In this current collaborative effort, we have experienced the multiplier effect in the most profound way,” said Tammie Bostick, Utah Clean Cities Executive Director. ”We have all worked hard for this success and look forward to test and deploy next innovation in clean transportation.

Utah Clean Cities is the recipient of two grants selected through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Vehicle Technologies Office. See below for the awarded projects:

• East Zion National Park Electric Vehicle Shuttle System Plan

The East Zion National Park Electric Vehicle Shuttle System Project will demonstrate a small-scale, environmentally-sound, zero-emission, electric vehicle shuttle system through the east entrance of Zion National Park. This project includes the development of an electric shuttle system including a Shuttle Hub and shuttle stops. This project will prove viability of these electric vehicles (EV) in a rugged environment with extreme temperature variations and difficult road conditions in Southern Utah. The project has been designed for universal scalability, with deployment in other high-traffic, environmentally sensitive National and State Parks throughout the United States in mind. This project will increase regional resiliency and connectivity throughout the Southern Utah region, and stand as a model for national implementation as project results will be shared nation- wide to further the research and implementation of electric vehicle shuttle systems.

• Supporting a Strong EV Market in the Intermountain West through Consumer Education, Stakeholder Engagement, and Rural Infrastructure:

The Utah Clean Cities Coalition has partnered with the REV West project team, and Clean Cities throughout the Intermountain West to create this regional project supporting the emerging EV market. This project’s goal is to develop a strong EV market and EV infrastructure network in underserved areas of the Intermountain West, by identifying and addressing key barriers to widespread adoption. Supporting work includes regulatory analysis, developing strategies to support rural station investments, and consumer education and awareness to build demand for EVs. The project team represents a unique- cross section of practitioners, policy-makers, and stakeholders in the energy and transportation sectors. The breadth of knowledge on the project team will enable the project to identify key barriers to market
development and develop novel strategies to promote transportation electrification, both within the Intermountain West and on a broader scale through replicable programs. The result will consolidate resources and efforts to promote EVs through tool development, analysis, outreach and education templates, and marketing efforts, in order to ensure EV drivers have access to necessary infrastructure to travel without concern throughout the full region.

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About Utah Clean Cities

The mission of the Utah Clean Cities Coalition is to advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that reduce the use of petroleum in the transportation sector. Working closely with the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities programs, federal and state government, as well as our local stakeholders, we leverage our resources to bring funding into Utah to support the development and deployment of advanced fuel infrastructure and vehicles with an emphasis on
renewable energies and technologies. We are committed to expanding transportation modeling by offering consultation services to access
proven, state-of-the-art technological vehicles and equipment with proven return on investment for smart mobility fleets.
We are here to support actionable steps to meet the challenges of our carbon-constrained world, to meet state and federal mandates, and implement sound business practices to tackle the serious nonattainment conditions in our state.