WASHINGTON, March 9, 2016 - In 2009, the Energy Department (DOE)
and industry partners launched an initiative, SuperTruck I, to improve the
efficiency of Class 8 vehicles. Class 8 vehicles, or heavy-duty tractor
trailers, haul about 80 percent of the goods that fill our stores and, although
these “big rigs” make up only 4 percent of the vehicles on the road today, they
consume 20 percent of the fuel, says DOE.
To take this research to the next level, DOE has announced
$80 million in new funding for SuperTruck II projects. The objective is to
research, develop and demonstrate a long or regional-haul Class 8 truck that is
100 percent more efficient compared to a manufacturer’s best-in-class 2009
truck and help make fuel-saving technologies more affordable for truck
operators.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Reuben Sarkar also
announced
more than $12 million for three new cost-shared projects focused on the
research, development and demonstration of plug-in electric powertrain
technologies for medium and heavy-duty vehicles.
“Improving the efficiency of commercial trucks is critical
to reducing our petroleum consumption, strengthening our clean energy economy and
further reducing our contributions to climate change,” says Sarkar. “This new
funding will not only accelerate innovation but also foster rapid market
adoption of new energy efficient vehicle technologies.”
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