H.R. 8560 — Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act

This section defines key terms used in the Act, including alternative fuel as a fuel resulting in significant reductions in lifecycle greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutant emissions compared to conventional options, extreme fast charging as recharging up to 80 percent of battery capacity in approximately 10 minutes or less, and sustainable materials as those producible in required volumes without depleting nonrenewable resources or disrupting environmental equilibria, as well as Department and Secretary referring to the Department of Energy and its Secretary.

This section requires the Secretary to submit a report to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources not later than two years after enactment and every two years thereafter through 2031. The report must describe activities undertaken under the Act, including the status of public-private partnerships, progress of programs under sections 4, 6, 8, and 12 toward goals and timelines, and a strategic plan for cross-agency funding, as well as technologies and knowledge developed, with emphasis on successful commercial adoption and U.S. manufacturing of resulting products.

This section directs the Secretary, in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, to conduct a research, development, and demonstration program on advanced vehicle technologies using more efficient, sustainable, and domestically available materials and manufacturing processes to substantially reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and commercial vehicle manufacture and use and to lower manufacturing and ownership costs. The program coordinates with existing activities on electric vehicle grid integration and critical material recycling and reuse, establishes technical milestones across the vehicle supply chain, and addresses research challenges in electrification, power electronics and electric machines, vehicle batteries, components and manufacturing processes, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, weight reduction, recycling, advanced computing, automation, and refueling and charging infrastructure.

This section establishes a research and development program, in coordination with existing DOE vehicle and grid programs, focused on the cybersecurity and physical security of interconnections between vehicles, vehicle energy storage systems, charging equipment, buildings, and the electric grid for plug-in electric vehicles, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and other relevant vehicles, including security impacts of alternating current charging, high-power direct current fast charging, and extreme fast charging. This section also directs the Secretary to develop a 5- to 10-year impact assessment that identifies areas for Federal cross-agency research coordination on emergent cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities to the on-road transportation system and current research challenges associated with cyber-physical protection of electric and connected and automated vehicle technologies.

This section directs the Secretary to support a program of research, development, and demonstration of vehicle energy storage safety and reliability, in coordination with the program under section 4. The program examines mechanisms that lead to safety and reliability incidents; develops new materials to improve abuse tolerance; performs abuse testing and advances testing techniques; demonstrates detailed failure analyses; mitigates cell, system, and hydrogen fuel storage tank failures; and develops crush-induced battery safety protocols and technical standards.

This section establishes the Advanced Vehicle Technologies Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary on vehicle technology and mobility system research advancements under the DOE Vehicle Program. The advisory committee shall consist of not fewer than 15 members, including representatives of research and academic institutions, environmental organizations, industry, nongovernmental entities, relevant labor organizations, and associations representing automobile manufacturers. The advisory committee shall assess U.S. competitiveness in sustainable and advanced transportation research, progress toward technical milestones in the DOE Vehicle Program, the balance of research and development activities and funding, program management and coordination, and whether environmental, safety, and security issues are adequately addressed. Not later than two years after the date of enactment and not less frequently than once every three years thereafter, the advisory committee shall submit reports on its findings and recommendations to the Secretary, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the advisory committee.

This section establishes a medium- and heavy-duty commercial and transit vehicles program and directs the Secretary, in coordination with other Federal agencies and industry stakeholders including labor organizations, to carry out research, development, and demonstration activities on advanced energy technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles in 16 specified areas, including vehicle engines, electric drive trains, batteries, hydrogen technologies, and recharging infrastructure. This section also requires the Secretary to award financial assistance for the integration of multiple advanced energy technologies and operational efficiencies on medium- and heavy-duty platforms and trailers, with eligible applicants including manufacturers, fleet owners, and researchers.

This section authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to State, local, and Tribal governments and public-private partnerships for the commercial application of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicle technologies and infrastructure. Technical assistance may include coordination on the selection and location of refueling equipment, development of integration protocols and installation procedures, education and outreach, and analysis of barriers to utility system integration. The section authorizes appropriations of $50 million for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

This section directs the Secretary to award grants establishing up to seven Graduate Automotive Technology Education Centers of Research Excellence (GATE) at institutions of higher education or consortia thereof. Each Center must promote skilled engineering professionals to commercialize advanced automotive energy technologies, support graduate research and laboratory coursework, and test technologies at a pre-commercial scale. The Secretary must ensure geographical and resource diversity across Centers, unique research capabilities or regional benefits for new Centers, established institutional expertise in automotive engineering, and that at least two grants go to entities representing a Historically Black College or University, minority-serving institution, or Tribal College or University. Grants last up to five years and may be renewed once after merit review; funds may not support physical construction unless required for safety or equipment. The section authorizes appropriations of $8,300,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

This section directs the Secretary to publish, not later than one year after enactment, a request for information to evaluate research, development, and demonstration activities that assess technical barriers to alternative fuel transmission, delivery, and recharging or refueling infrastructure. The request must address electric grid load management and bidirectional plug-in electric drive vehicle applications for grid storage and ancillary services, integration of such vehicles with smart grid technology, technical and economic barriers to hydrogen and biofuel delivery technologies for widespread consumer use, and other barriers to sufficient and regionally appropriate alternative fuel infrastructure, including zero-emissions generation and transmission. The section requires the Secretary to conduct this effort in coordination with relevant industry, State, local, and Tribal governments, and academic stakeholders, and to submit a report summarizing the findings to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources not later than two years after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary, in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, to support a program of research, development, and demonstration of advanced energy efficient mobility solutions addressing energy impacts of vehicle technologies across the transportation sector. The program includes development of tools and capabilities to improve energy productivity of integrated mobility systems and requires activities to improve impacts of emerging technologies, assess automated vehicle computing loads, enhance onboard sensing and connectivity, maximize real-world energy efficiency for connected vehicles, evaluate autonomous vehicles for roadway throughput, research autonomous refueling and charging, apply machine learning to transportation datasets, and optimize systems for vehicle electrification and automation with grid stability.

This section directs the Secretary to coordinate, to the maximum extent practicable, research, development, and demonstration activities among specified Department of Energy offices—including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Science, the Office of Electricity, the Office of Fossil Energy, the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy, and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations—and relevant technology programs of other Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. It further requires the Secretary to seek opportunities to leverage resources and support initiatives of Federal, State, and local governments in developing advanced vehicle technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

This section authorizes appropriations for research, development, and demonstration of alternative fuels, vehicle propulsion systems, vehicle components, and other related technologies in the United States, including activities authorized under this Act, of $530,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, $556,500,000 for fiscal year 2028, $584,325,000 for fiscal year 2029, $613,541,250 for fiscal year 2030, and $644,218,312 for fiscal year 2031.