As reported by NewNet, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will invest $14.9 million into 16 projects, covering support of activities in 24 states and the District of Columbia, geared to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EV). Steven Chu, U.S. Energy Secretary, commented, "By developing the next generation of automotive engineers and preparing communities for plug-in electric vehicles, these projects will help reduce our nation’s dependence on oil imports, create jobs, and help America capture the growing global market for advanced vehicles." In line with the announcement, the federal Clean Cities initiative has reportedly distributed $8.5 million to facilitate public private partnerships that will develop EV deployment strategies. The one-year projects will help communities to address their specific needs including updating permitting processes, revising codes, training municipal personal and creating incentives.
According to reports, part of the new funding has also been made available to seven projects that will help prepare college students for careers designing and building advanced vehicle technologies. The Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) scheme will reportedly provide $6.4 million over a five-year period to support seven centres of excellence at US colleges, universities and education-affiliated research facilities. The GATE awardees will be focusing their electric vehicle development efforts in three areas: hybrid propulsion, energy storage and lightweight materials.
Link: US DOE awards $16.9m to advance electric vehicles (NewNet)
