Thirty-one clean car projects across the United States will share a pool of $55 million. Of the 31 projects, 19 hope to improve competition among plug-in vehicles.The plug-in vehicle projects are part of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, an initiative pushing the U.S. to be the first country offering an electric vehicle with the same cost and convenience of ownership by 2022.
Other projects receiving funding focus on improving current conventional technology for better fuel efficiency. Ernest Moniz, Energy Secretary, said, “Investments in the next generation of vehicle technologies will both strengthen our economy and lead to a more fuel efficient, clean energy future. Improving vehicle efficiency is instrumental to establishing a 21st century transportation sector that creates jobs as well as protects future generations from harmful carbon emissions.”