Electric drive technologies, including the electric motor, inverter, boost converter, and on-board charger, are essential components of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) propulsion systems. The Transportation Technologies Office (TTO) supports research and development (R&D) to reduce the cost and improve the performance of innovative electric drive devices, components, and systems. For a general overview of electric drive vehicles, see the Alternative Fuels Data Center's pages on Hybrid and Plug-in Electric Vehicles.
The Transportation Technologies Office's Contribution
TTO funds research to advance electric drive technologies in two key areas:
TTO funds research on electric drive technologies to:
- Reduce cost, weight, and volume
- Improve performance, efficiency, and reliability
- Develop innovative modular and scalable designs
- Improve manufacturability and accelerate commercialization
Within these areas, research efforts focus on:
- Wide bandgap (WBG) devices for power electronics
- Advanced motor designs to reduce or eliminate rare earth materials
- Novel packaging for power electronics and electric motors
- Improvements in thermal management and reliability
- Integration of power electronics functions
More information on these research and development activities can be found in the Annual Merit Review and Annual Progress Reports.
Partnerships
TTO works extensively with a number of different organizations. The electric drive technologies subprogram supports a number of unique user facilities at the national laboratories. Within the Department of Energy, the office collaborates with the Office of Science, ARPA-e (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy), and the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative. Across the federal government, the APEEM subprogram works with:
- The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation
- The Interagency Advanced Power Group
- The U.S. Army Tank, Automotive Research and Development and Engineering Center (Department of Defense)
Much of the subprogram's research is conducted in sync with industry partners through:
- The U.S. DRIVE Partnership focusing on light-duty vehicles
- The 21st Century Truck Partnership, focusing on heavy-duty vehicles