DOE Awards $2.5 million for R&D Projects to Accelerate Advancements in Lightweighting of Passenger Vehicles
October 3, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) has selected five industry-led research and development projects to address key technical challenges associated with the application of lightweight materials to improve the energy efficiency of electric vehicles. These projects will help decarbonize the transportation sector and enhance the infrastructure needed to support the growing adoption of zero-emission vehicles.
The award recipients will partner with a member of the Lightweight Materials Consortium, or LightMAT, to accelerate solutions to the nation’s toughest materials challenges in the energy sector. LightMAT is comprised of a network of 11 national laboratories with technical capabilities highly relevant to the development and commercial use of lightweight materials and manufacturing processes. Selected projects will receive up to $500,000 of LightMAT technical assistance from the partnering national laboratory, over a maximum project duration of 2 years.
LightMAT is managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in partnership with other national laboratories, and is funded by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office.
2022 LightMAT Direct Funding Assistance awards selections:
| Industry Partner | DOE Laboratory | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| General Motors Warren, MI |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Atmospheric Plasma Deposition for Adhesive Bonding of Multi-Material Systems |
| General Motors Warren, MI |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory | A Machine Learning-Assisted Weld Quality Diagnostic Tool to Assure Structural Integrity of EV Battery Enclosure |
| General Motors Warren, MI |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Development of Sustainable Aluminum Alloy for Lightweight Ultralarge Castings |
| Vehma International Troy, MI |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Direct Extrusion of 6082 and 7xxx Battery Tray Structures Using Shear-Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE™) |
| Dow Aksa Midland, MI |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Wholly Sustainable, Cost-Effective Carbon Fiber-Nylon Compounds |