DOE puts up $30M for PHEV projects

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $30 million in funding for three Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, or PHEV, projects.

The DOE said the three-year cost-shared demonstration and development projects would accelerate the development of PHEVs capable of traveling up to 40 miles without recharging, which the department said includes most daily roundtrip commutes.

The three projects will be run by General Motors (NYSE: GM), Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

DOE Assistant Secretary Andy Karsner said the announced projects "demonstrate a shared public-private sector commitment to advance clean vehicle technologies and will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil while also confronting the serious challenge of global climate change."

"The department remains committed to the research, development and deployment of cleaner, more efficient vehicle options for consumers from laboratory to the street."

The DOE said the projects would address critical barriers to achieving the department's goal of making PHEVs cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016.

The energy department said General Motors would look at enhancement of lithium-ion battery packs, charging systems, powertrain development, vehicle integration, and vehicle validation.

Ford plans to identify a pathway that accelerates commercial mass-production of PHEVs, focusing on development of battery systems and deployment of prototype PHEVs.

The General Electric project is expected to demonstrate PHEVs that use a dual-battery energy storage system capable of 40 miles accumulated electric driving range.

The DOE said its funding for the projects would be combined with an industry cost share of 50 percent.