In 2009, U.S. consumers and particularly the worldwide auto industry experienced one of the largest downturns in generations. 2009 U.S. light duty vehicle sales declined almost 26 percent compared to 2008. Sales of hybrids were on course to decline approximately 20 percent. As the auto industry rebounds overall, hybrid sales were showing continued strong performance.
The U.S. government recognizes how critical a vibrant domestic auto industry is to the continued economic health of the country. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), on August 5, 2009, President Obama announced 48 advanced battery and electric drive projects that will receive $2.4 billion in funding1. These grants will accelerate the development of U.S. manufacturing capacity for batteries and electric drive components. The ARRA funding also supports PHEV and EV vehicle demonstration projects. A brief description of the battery manufacturing grants is presented in Chapter II.
In addition, several automakers announced plans to develop plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)2 as well as full electric vehicles (EVs) or reconfirmed their previously announced plans. Specifically, the General Motors Chevrolet Volt PHEV40 continues on track to be released in late 2010, and Tesla, Mitsubishi and Nissan, among others, continue their development of more affordable EVs scheduled for release in 2010 or 2011.
An important step for the electrification of the nation’s personal transportation is the development of more cost-effective, long lasting, and abuse-tolerant Li-ion batteries. The United States Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) continuing R&D into advanced batteries for transportation offers the possibility of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and the potential negative economic impacts of crude oil price fluctuations. It also supports the Administration’s goal of deploying 1 million PHEVs by 2015. In FY2009, battery R&D work continued its expansion into high-energy batteries
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Source: energy.gov
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