Energy Dept. to fund alternative vehicles

WASHINGTON, May 24 The U.S. Department of Energy announced it will provide $19 million in funds to develop plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Five research projects were selected to receive the funds, the Energy Department said Thursday. The goal is to advance plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel-cell vehicles. The money is being given as part of President Bush's Twenty in Ten plan to reduce U.S. gas consumption by 20 percent in 10 years.

"These projects will not only help alleviate our 'addiction to oil' but also play a critical role in accelerating commercialization and making more clean and efficient alternative vehicles available to consumers," Assistant Secretary Andy Karsner said. "Not only will more alternative vehicles on the road help reduce our reliance on imported sources of energy, it's also critical to confronting climate change." Delphi Automotive Systems in Troy, Mich., was selected to receive $4.9 million for its research on high-temperature three-phase inverters, which control and regulate the speed of electric motors.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University of Blacksburg, Va., were chosen to get $1.7 million for a project that will reduce power losses. High-speed motors are being developed by General Electric Global Research of Niskayuna, N.Y., and efficiency is being improved by General Motors Corporation in Torrance, Calif.

U.S. Hybrid Corporation of Torrance, Calif., has been selected for an award of up to $1.3 million for a bidirectional DC/DC converter for PHEVs. This work will include a vehicle-system study to determine the optimum operating battery and DC-link voltages, allowing for higher efficiency and lower costs. Team members include the University of Illinois, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and SiCED.

Copyright 2007 by UPI

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