The Lightweight Materials Consortium (LightMAT), funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office, announced its annual funding opportunity for 2023 for the automotive industry to leverage technical assistance from DOE national laboratories. LightMAT seeks proposals to identify key technical challenges limiting the use of lightweight materials that can further improve the energy efficiency of conventional and electric vehicles.

Proposals are due 12 June 2023.

This call focuses on lightweighting of the vehicle glider, which is composed of the body-in-white, closure panels, chassis and suspension system, interior, structural battery enclosure, and wheels.

Excluded from this call are applications that include batteries, power electronics, or other powertrain systems. Priority will be given to proposals targeting components or subsystems that are not currently part of the Vehicle Technologies Office lightweight materials research portfolio.

Applicants will partner with one or multiple DOE national laboratories within the LightMAT consortium to address researcher needs for overcoming the identified challenges.

Selected projects will receive up to $500,000 of LightMAT technical assistance over a maximum duration of two years. LightMAT anticipates selecting four new projects as part of this funding opportunity. Application materials are available on the LightMAT Funding Opportunities website.

LightMAT is managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in partnership with other national laboratories.