US offers more funding to clean up the transportation sector
The US Energy Department on April 15 announced more than $150mn in funding to support efforts to reduce emissions from vehicles, including a look into hydrogen-fuelled options.
As part of its so-called SuperTruck initiative, the federal government said $162mn was available to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and explore hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
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In the US, transportation accounts for the bulk of total economic greenhouse gas emissions and about 30% of total energy demand.
“Getting to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 means we must aggressively cut down the largest source of emissions: the transportation sector,” Jennifer Granholm, the US energy secretary, said.
The department’s office for energy efficiency and renewable energy is offering hundreds of millions of dollars over the next four years to improve efficiency and lower emissions for electric, hybrid, hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Even with advances in alternative fuels, the Energy Information Administration, part of the energy department, said it expected consumer gasoline consumption this year will be higher than last, but still below pre-pandemic levels.
In March, the department awarded $2mn for research and development to advance hydrogen as a source of energy. Granholm said getting an early start on hydrogen technology advances president Joe Biden’s clean-energy ambitions.