Two funding opportunities totalling more than $162 million (£117m) have been announced to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from cars, trucks and off-road vehicles.

The funding will support the next stage of the SuperTruck initiative, aimed at electrifying freight trucking, along with efforts to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and lower emissions for on and off-road vehicles.

Transportation accounts for around 30% of total US energy needs and generates the largest share of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The new funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) seeks to address the two largest contributors to transport emissions: passenger cars and light-duty trucks – which are responsible for nearly 60% of emissions – and medium and heavy-duty trucks, which cover nearly a quarter of emissions.

Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 means we must aggressively cut down the largest source of emissions: the transportation sector.

“DOE’s first two SuperTruck initiatives led the biggest truck makers in the America semi market to take massive leaps in fuel efficiency. This new funding triples down on that progress with a push toward electrifying trucks of all sizes, along with efforts to expand EV charging access and develop low emission car engines.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/04/19/us-offers-162m-to-improve-efficiency-and-reduce-emissions-from-cars-and-trucks/