DOE Projects Aim To Raise Fuel Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a public-private partnership with industry and academia. The partnership's s aim: to significantly improve vehicle efficiency through advances in technology.

The partnership consists of six projects, with industry and the energy department sharing in the costs. The value of the projects is listed at more than $14 million.

Four projects were chosen with the goal of improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines and also meeting cost, durability and emissions constraints. The partners in the four projects are Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.; Honeywell International, Minneapolis; Delphi Automotive Systems LLC, Troy, Mich.; and Envera LLC, Mill Valley, Calif. One project, whose industry partner is International Truck and Engine Corp., Warrenville, Ill., aims to overcome the barriers preventing widespread use of idle reduction technologies in heavy-duty trucks, says the DOE. The final project focuses on advanced vehicle testing and evaluation. Clarity Group Inc., Phoenix, will conduct field performance evaluations as part of the project.