Research & Development of Electricity as a Vehicle Fuel

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working with its partners in the public and private sectors to research, develop, and deploy technologies that enhance the performance of electric drive vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and all-electric vehicles (EVs).

Some key areas of research include:

• Battery performance
• Power electronics devices
• Grid integration
• Environmental and market analysis
• Advanced vehicle testing

Battery Performance

Energy storage technologies, particularly batteries, are critical for the advancement of HEVs, PHEVs, and EVs. Research is under way to reduce the cost of electrochemical energy storage by developing technologies that afford higher energy and power densities without sacrificing safety or performance.

See the following resources for more information related to research in battery performance:

• Energy Storage R&D 2013 Annual Progress Report, DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Overview and Progress of DOE's Battery Testing, Design, and Analysis Activity (pdf)
• The Energy Storage program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Energy Storage Project
• Vehicle Technologies Office batteries research
• Internal Short Circuit Device Helps Improve Lithium Ion Battery Design, NREL (pdf)
• Modeling the Performance and Cost of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Drive Vehicles, Argonne National Laboratory (pdf)
• Transportation Electrification initiative data
• Computer-Aided Engineering of Batteries for Designing Better Li-Ion Batteries, NREL (pdf)
• Comparison of Battery Life Across Real-World Automotive Drive Cycles, NREL (pdf)
• NREL's PHEV/EV Li-ion Battery Secondary-Use Project (pdf)

Power Electronic Devices

HEVs, PHEVs, and EVs require power electronics and electrical machines to function. These devices use energy from the battery to assist in the propulsion of the vehicle, either on their own or in combination with an internal combustion engine. Researchers are working to develop advanced power electronics and electric machinery technologies that improve reliability, efficiency, and ruggedness, and reduce costs.

See the following resources for more information related to research in power electronics devices:

• Power Electronics Research and Development, DOE Vehicle Technologies Office
• NREL's Advanced Power Electronics Project
• NREL Helps Cool the Power Electronics in Electric Vehicles (pdf)
• Modular Energy Storage System for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, DOE (pdf)
• Vehicle Technologies Office electric drive technologies research
• FY 2011 Annual Progress Report for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (pdf)

Grid Integration

Successful deployment of EVs and PHEVs requires large-scale development of charging infrastructure and its integration into the existing system of electricity production and distribution. Researchers are collaborating with automakers, charging equipment manufacturers, utilities, and fleet managers to develop strategies that facilitate vehicles' access to clean energy from renewable sources, optimize their use of existing generation and distribution capacity, satisfy driver expectations, and ensure safety.

See the following resources for more information related to research in grid integration:

• NREL's Electric Vehicle Grid Integration Project
• Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: A Foundation for Electrified Transportation, NREL (pdf)
• Technical Challenges of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Impacts to the US Power System: Distribution System Analysis, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (pdf)
• Impacts Assessment of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles on Electric Utilities and Regional U.S. Power Grids-Part 1: Technical Analysis, PNNL (pdf)
• Using Electric Vehicles to Meet Balancing Requirements of Wind Power, PNNL (pdf)
• Application of Distribution Transformer Thermal Life Models to Electrified Vehicle Charging Loads Using Monte-Carlo Method, NREL (pdf)
• Grid Interconnection and Performance Testing Procedures for Vehicle-to-Grid Power Electronics, NREL (pdf)
• Communication and Control of Electric Vehicles Supporting Renewables, NREL (pdf)

Environmental and Market Analysis

EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs have potential for reduced operating costs, petroleum savings, improved national security, and environmental benefits. Research is under way to better understand and maximize these benefits, and to understand and overcome barriers to realizing them.

See the following resources for more information related to research in environmental and market analysis:

• Technology Improvement Pathways to Cost-Effective Vehicle Electrification, NREL (pdf)
• Well-to-Wheels Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis of PHEVs, Argonne National Laboratory (pdf)
• PHEV Value Proposition Study, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (pdf)
• Benefits and Challenges of Achieving a Mainstream Market for Electric Vehicles, DOE (pdf)
• Battery Ownership Model: A Tool for Evaluating the Economics of Electrified Vehicles and Related Infrastructure, NREL (pdf)
• EV Everywhere Grand Challenge

Advanced Vehicle Testing

DOE's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) benchmarks and validates the performance of light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that feature electric drive technologies and other advanced vehicle technologies. With input from industry and other stakeholders, AVTA also develops test procedures to accurately measure real-world vehicle performance. Among AVTA projects is The EV Project, which collects and analyzes data to characterize plug-in vehicle use in diverse topographic and climatic conditions, evaluates the effectiveness of charging infrastructure, and conducts trials of various revenue systems for commercial and public charging infrastructure.

See the following resources for more information related to advanced vehicle testing:

• Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, DOE Vehicle Technologies Office
• NREL's Fleet Test and Evaluation activities
• Fleet DNA: Vehicle Drive Cycle Analysis
• Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity, Idaho National Laboratory
• The EV Project, Idaho National Laboratory