A new partnership deal between auto industry organisations and the US government has been signed to speed up the development of energy efficient vehicles and platinum-based fuel cell technology.

US DRIVE - Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability - will bring together car industry groups including the US Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) and Tesla Motors with bodies representing the electric utility and fuels industries and the Department of Energy.

USCAR is the cooperative research organisation formed by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.

The fuel companies involved include BP America, Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhillips Company, ExxonMobil Corporation and Shell Oil Products US.

Energy secretary Steven Chu commented: "By bringing together the best and brightest in government and the automobile, electric utility, and fuels industries, we can develop promising, innovative technologies that move rapidly from the lab into cars on the road."

The partnership will focus on several key technical areas, including fuel cell power systems, lightweight materials, vehicle-to-electricity grid interaction, fuel pathway integration, on-board hydrogen storage and hydrogen production and delivery.

As an example of the kind of technology being researched, the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership report in 2010 showed how hollow platinum nanoparticles have been developed for stable, high-activity fuel cell catalysts, the Environment News Service noted.

In addition, the study highlighted a 15 per cent improvement in peak brake thermal efficiency on a light-duty diesel engine through improvements in engine technology and the recovery of thermal exhaust energy.

Sources:

U.S. DRIVE (17/05/11)

U.S. DRIVE: Pre-Competition Partnership Develops Next-Generation Vehicles (23/05/11)

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