The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $51.5 million in grant money for heavy-duty and off-road truck technology research that could help boost prospects for electric trucks.
Funded through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, money will be allocated among five topic areas, including up to $18 million for projects aimed at technical barriers to battery-electric vehicles and up to $6 million for hydrogen fueling technologies.
“As the fastest growing fuel users, trucks offer an important opportunity to use innovation to improve energy productivity,” DOE’s Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes said in a statement on March 1.
“Through research and new developments in both energy efficiency and domestically sourced fuel technologies, we can not only strengthen our energy security but also improve transportation affordability for our nation’s trucking industry – helping those who deliver American goods and those who use them.”