The US Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled two funding opportunities worth more than $162 million to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions among cars, trucks, and off-road vehicles, the DOE announced in a statement on Thursday.
The funding will support the next stage of the SuperTruck initiatives—aimed at electrifying freight trucking—along with efforts to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and lower emissions for on- and off-road vehicles.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said that getting to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 means the US must aggressively cut down the largest source of emissions: the transportation sector.
The new funding is aimed to help the two largest contributors to transportation sector emissions: passenger cars and light-duty trucks, which are responsible for nearly 60%, and medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which cover nearly a quarter.
'DOE's first two SuperTruck initiatives led the biggest truck makers in the American semi market to take massive leaps in fuel efficiency,' she said, adding that the new funding triples down on that progress with a push towards electrifying trucks of all sizes.
- Biden administration
According to the statement, building a clean energy economy to address the climate crisis is a top priority of the Joe Biden Administration, and the transportation sector will play a critical part in this effort.
'Transportation accounts for approximately 30% of total US energy needs and generates the largest share of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions,' the statement read.
Bu Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr