Beneficiaries of federal multi-million dollar NGV program were revealed

The $30-million initiative, unveiled by President Obama in February, will be executed under the ‘MOVE’ program, through the Energy Department’s ARPA-E agency, and build on efforts underway through the Clean Cities program and National Clean Fleets Partnership to help large fleet operators in the country identify opportunities to transition to NGVs. It is focused on improving storage and compression technologies to encourage the widespread use of natural gas-powered cars and trucks.

Among the newly selected projects, REL, Inc. in Calumet, Michigan will receive $3 million to develop an internal “foam core” for natural gas tanks that allows tanks to be formed into any shape and that will enable higher storage capacity than current carbon fiber tanks at one third the cost. In addition, the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin will receive $4 million to develop an at-home re-fueling system that compresses gas with a single piston, with fewer moving parts, leading to a more reliable, lighter, and cost-effective compressor.

The other selected beneficiaries are Colorado State University; Eaton Corporation (Wisconsin); Ford Motor Company (Michigan); Gas Technology Institute (Illinois); General Electric Global Research (New York); OtherLab, Inc. (California); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (West Virginia); SRI International (California); Texas A&M University; and United Technologies Research Center (Connecticut).

Source: Department of Energy