PIER Transportation Research
Research Focus Areas
Transportation Energy Research - Vehicle Technologies
Achieving California's petroleum and greenhouse gas emission reductions goals will require advanced vehicle technologies to increase the efficient use of petroleum fuels and enable the cost-effective use of low-carbon alternative fuels. The Vehicle Technologies focus area conducts RD&D to develop and advance Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies and Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Technologies.
The Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program also provides support for advanced vehicle technologies through incentives, demonstrations, retrofits, workforce training, and workforce development.
Light-Duty Vehicle Technologies
California's nearly 26 million registered light-duty vehicles account for 70 percent of the state's petroleum consumption and 30 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. The Vehicle Technologies focus area advances new technologies and methods to improve fuel efficiency and vehicle energy savings for light-duty vehicles with an emphasis on:
- Energy Efficiency Active Components
- Energy Efficiency Passive Components
- Plug-in Electric Vehicles
To date the Vehicle Technologies focus area has:
- Partnered with U.S. Department of Energy, Ford, and GM to develop advanced vehicle HVAC systems using thermoelectric technologies.
- Established the Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis.
- Developed the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Roadmap
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Technologies
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles are critical to California's economy, yet remain a real challenge for reducing the state's transportation energy demand, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. To address these challenges the Vehicle Technologies focus area advances fuel-efficient technologies and fuel-switching strategies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles with an emphasis on:
- Natural Gas Vehicles
- Advanced Hybrid and High-efficiency Technologies
To date the Vehicle Technologies focus area has:
- Established the California Hybrid, Efficient and Advanced Truck (CalHeat) Research Center.
- Developed the Natural Gas Vehicle Research Roadmap.
- Partnered with Westport Cummins, Volvo, and Westport Power to develop and demonstrate advanced natural gas engines.
- Partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Cummins Westport, Southwest Research Institute, and Emissions Solution Inc. on natural gas engine development, chassis integration, and vehicle demonstration of medium and heavy-duty trucks.
See Final Report and Publication
See Fact Sheets for ongoing and recent projects
Research Highlights
- New research center to develop energy-efficient trucks opens in Pasadena.
- Researchers at UC Davis discuss their work with electric vehicles and their excitement about the Nissan Leaf.
- The UC Davis Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center and the BMW Group together have released the largest publicly available study of electric-car users.