DOE announces 16 projects to accelerate adoption of EVs, 7 projects to prepare college students for careers in advanced vehicle field

The US Department of Energy announced 16 projects supporting activities in 24 states and the District of Columbia to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in communities across the nation, and 7 additional projects in seven states to help prepare college students for careers designing and building advanced vehicle technologies.

Clean Cities Initiative Awards $8.5 million. Projects to support community planning for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure will receive $8.5 million through DOE’s Clean Cities initiative to facilitate local public-private partnerships that will develop EV deployment strategies. The funding recipients range from communities with extensive EV planning experience to those that are eager to begin, but have not previously had the resources to do so.

These one-year projects will help communities address their specific needs, which include updating permitting processes, revising codes, training municipal personnel, promoting public awareness, or developing incentives, and each will create a plan that will be publicly available so that other stakeholders can learn best practices.

The Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Initiative Awards $6.4 million. DOE's Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) initiative will award $6.4 million over the course of five years to support seven Centers of Excellence at American colleges, universities, and university-affiliated research institutions. The awardees will focus on three critical automotive technology areas: hybrid propulsion, energy storage, and lightweight materials.

By funding curriculum development and expansion as well as laboratory work, GATE allows higher education institutions to develop multidisciplinary training. As a result, GATE promotes the development of a skilled workforce of engineering professionals who will overcome technical barriers and help commercialize the next generation of advanced automotive technologies.

DOE announced the availability of funding for these projects in February and April 2011.

Source: Green Car Congress