DOE awarding $71M to 20 RD&D projects to cut GHG emissions, expand EV infrastructure; $5M to Achates for opposed-piston 2-stroke hybrid
02 November 2021
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $71 million to 20 research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects with industry, academia, and non-profits including Clean Cities Coalitions for the creation of solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for on- and off-road vehicles and to accelerate the expansion of EV infrastructure and charging. (DE-FOA-0002475, earlier post.)
Projects will work to lower emissions by leading the expansion of EV charging stations to facilitate the transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles. This includes EV charging community projects, such as installing charge stations within multi-unit housing, hosting community-led demonstrations that address barriers to EV adoption and lowering costs for direct current (DC) fast charging equipment.
Of the $71 million, Achates Power will receive $5 million for work on an opposed-piston 2-stroke hybrid commercial vehicle system, and Cummins will receive $4 million for its work on an ultra-low emissions heavy-duty 10L natural gas engine.
Fiscal Year 2021 Low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Vehicle Technologies RD&D DE-FOA-0002475
| Awardee | Project Description | Federal share |
| AOI 1: EV Charging Community Partner Projects | ||
| Forth | Affordable Mobility Platform (AMP) | $5,020,217 |
| Metropolitan Energy Center | EV Market Stimulation in Divested Economies | $5,222,326 |
| Native Sun Community Power Development | Upper Midwest Inter-Tribal EV Charging Community Network | $6,666,667 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Rural Reimagined: Building an EV Ecosystem and Green Economy for Transforming Lives in Economically Distressed Appalachia | $4,012,930 |
| AOI 2: EV Workplace Charging | ||
| CALSTART | Charge to Work USA: National Workplace Charging Program | $3,999,994 |
| Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition | Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace Electrification Readiness (EMPOWER) | $3,970,539 |
| Forth | Leadership of Employers for Electrification Program (LEEP) | $4,000,000 |
| AOI 3: Reducing the Cost of DC Fast Charging Equipment | ||
| BorgWarner Inc | Technology & Design Innovations to Maximize the Reduction Effect on DCFC Unit Cost Economics (Max-REDUCE) | $4,093,880 |
| Eaton Corporation | A Solid State Technology Enabled Compact, Modular Design to Reduce DC Fast Charging Cost and Footprint | $4,906,074 |
| North Carolina State University | Ultra-low Cost, All-SiC Modular Power Converters for DC Fast Charging Equipment Connected Directly to Medium Voltage Distribution System | $3,858,644 |
| AOI 4a: Research to Transform the Efficiency of Off-Road Vehicles | ||
| Eaton Corporation | Simultaneous Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutants Emissions Reduction for Off-Road Powertrains | $2,377,904 |
| Marquette University | Development of a Flex Fuel Mixing Controlled Combustion System for Gasoline/Ethanol Blends Enabled by Prechamber Ignition | $2,500,000 |
| AOI 4b: Electrified Construction Vehicle Research, Development, and Validation | ||
| John Deere | Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) Electrification - GHG Reductions and Commercialization of New Technology in Construction Vehicles Fleet | $2,756,732 |
| University of Minnesota – Twin Cities | Fully Electric Powered, Hydraulic Assisted, Compact Track Loader | $2,365,364 |
| AOI 5: Natural Gas Engine Enabling Technologies | ||
| Cummins Inc. | Cummins High Efficiency, Ultra Low Emissions Heavy- Duty 10L Natural Gas Engine Project | $4,000,000 |
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Plasma-Assisted Pre-Chamber Ignition System for Highly Dilute Stoichiometric Heavy-Duty Natural Gas Engines | $1,645,430 |
| AOI 6: Dimethyl Ether and Propane Engine Enabling Technologies | ||
| University of Wisconsin- Madison | High-Efficiency Mixing Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion of Propane DME Blends | $2,373,453 |
| WM International Engineering LLC | High Pressure Fast Response Direct Injection System for Liquified Gas Fuels Use in Light-Duty Engines | $1,994,690 |
| AOI 7: Integrated Hybrid System with Opposed Piston 2-Stroke | ||
| Achates Power Inc | Opposed-Piston 2-Stroke Hybrid Commercial Vehicle System | $5,000,000 |
| AOI 8: Natural Gas Vehicle Technology Proof of Concept | ||
| ASRC Consulting & Environmental Services, LLC | Project Siļa: An Arctic CNG Pilot Test Program | $1,064,076 |
Nice to see that Achates receives funding. However, I cannot comprehend why it has to be combined with a hybrid drive at this stage. This is of course a possible option, and probably require some additional work in comparison to a traditional piston engine, but the priority now should be to complete engine development and make it ready for production. Hybridization can wait.
Posted by: Peter_XX | 03 November 2021 at 01:39 PM