President Obama Announces Alternative Technology Vehicle Support as Part of All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy 

President Obama outlined new plans on Wednesday, March 8, 2012 as part of a $1 billion National Community Deployment Challenge to support the sales and use of alternative technology vehicles (ATVs).  The plan supports electric, natural gas, and hydrogen-powered vehicles and is defined as an all-of-the-above energy strategy.   

Part of the President's plan includes increasing the current $7,500 tax credit for ATVs to a maximum of $10,000. The credit would also be broadened to apply to different types of ATVs, moving beyond just plug-in cars to apply to electric battery, natural gas, and hydrogen vehicles.   

"This is good news for any manufacturer who's taking  a portfolio approach [to ATVs]" said John Hanson, U.S. spokesman for Toyota.

Funds from the National Community Deployment Challenge will also be used to help 10 to 15 "model communities" create incentives and infrastructure to support advanced technology vehicles, according to the White House proposal.

Communities will be able to use the funds in support of plug-in electric, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell or any other advanced vehicle technology. The communities would then become "real-world laboratories," the White House said, providing models for full-scale deployment of these advanced technologies.

Read the CNN Money article here.

Danish Government to Launch Hydrogen Infrastructure Program and Continue FCEV Tax Exemptions through 2015

On March 23, 2012, the Danish Government announced a new Energy Plan 2020 which included several initiatives supporting the development of hydrogen infrastructure and the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).  The overall goal of the Energy Plan 2020 is to bring the Danish Government to complete fossil fuel independence by 2050.

The Infrastructure Program within the Energy Plan 2020 would develop a country-wide hydrogen refueling network by 2015.  This would also include a significant tax exemption on electricity for hydrogen production to encourage renewable hydrogen.

Furthermore, the Energy Plan 2020 includes the continuation of existing  tax exemptions for FCEVs through 2015.  The current tax on gasoline vehicles in Denmark includes a 180% tax and 25% value added tax (VAT) applied to the base vehicle price.  By exempting FCEVs from the 180% vehicle tax, FCEVs would be competitively priced compared to traditional gasoline vehicles when they are released to the commercial market.

For more information on the Danish Government's Energy Plan 2020, please visit the press release here.

Mercedes-Benz Makes an Invisible Fuel Cell Vehicle (VIDEO)

On Sunday, March 4, 2012, to make a statement about its upcoming fuel cell electric vehicles' zero carbon footprint, Mercedes-Benz cloaked one of its F-Cell vans to demonstrate its invisibility to the environment.

Invisible Mercedes

Read more about the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell here. 

On Tuesday, March 27th, the Energy Department announced a more than $5 million dollar investment in lowering the cost of advanced fuel cell systems.  The funding will contribute to developing and engineering cost-effective, durable and highly efficient fuel cell components that will help to meet cost targets and boost performance for both vehicles and stationary applications.

Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu spoke in support of the announcement saying "advancing hydrogen and fuel cell technology is an important part of the Energy Department's efforts to support the President's all-of-the-above energy strategy, helping to diversify America's energy sector and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  These investments will help fuel technology breakthroughs, drive down costs, and bring innovative, job-creating clean energy technologies to market faster."

Two companies will lead these efforts, with 3M Company in St. Paul, MN, receiving up to $3.1 million, and Eaton Corporation in Southfield, MI, receiving up to $2.1 million.  The focus of 3M will be developing a durable, low-cost, and high-performance membrane electrode assembly for use in mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicles and involve collaboration with General Motors, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Michigan Technological University.  Eaton Corporation, partnered with Kettering University, Ballard Power Systems and Electricore, Inc., will leverage advanced blower technology to develop and demonstrate an efficient and low-cost fuel cell air management system. 

The Department of Energy has announed up to $10 million available this year to demonstrate and deploy electric transportation technologies for cargo vehicles, such as trucks and forklifts, including those that are propelled by electric motors powered by fuel cells.

This funding opportunity is open to local governments and private companies, with federal funds matched in a 50% cost share. Detailed application instructions, including eligibility, can be found on DOE's Funding Opportunity Exchange website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000669. 

Applications will be accepted until 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 15, 2012. DOE anticipates notifying applicants selected for award by the end of July 2012, and making at least one award by September 30, 2012. 

DOE Announces Up to $2 Million to Collect Data from Hydrogen Fueling Stations and Demonstrate Innovations in Hydrogen Infrastructure Technologies

The Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) Program has announced up to $2 million available this year to collect and analyze performance data for hydrogen fueling stations and advanced refueling components. By collecting data from advanced hydrogen fueling stations, the Energy Department will track the performance and technical progress of innovative refueling systems operating in real-world environments to find ways to lower costs and improve operation. 

This funding is part of the department's commitment to U.S. leadership in advanced hydrogen and fuel cell research that aims to help industry bring hydrogen technologies into the mainstream market at lower cost, and provide American families and businesses with new choices for vehicles that do not rely on gasoline.

DOE Grant Opportunity - Light-Duty Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Validation Data

The Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) Program has issued a grant opportunity for light-duty fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) validation data.  The FCT Program has issued the announcement to fund the collection, analysis, and validation of light-duty hydrogen FCEV performance data operating in real-world environments. 

Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects and industry partners to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward. The total DOE funding available for new awards is estimated to be $6,000,000. 

The full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is posted on the EERE Exchange website. 

Submission deadline for applicants is 5:00 PM EST on April 30, 2012.

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Launched its 5th Annual Call for Proposals

€ 150 million's worth have been allocated for the support of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies through research and demonstration projects, with € 77.5 million from the European Commission matched by in-kind contributions from industry and research organisations.

The 2012 call covers 31 topics divided into 5 application areas: transportation and refuelling infrastructure; hydrogen production and distribution; stationary power generation, early markets and cross-cutting issues. 

The call for proposals FCH JU- 2012-1 is published on the participant portal, here.  

The deadline for submission of applications is May 24, 2012.