U.S. DRIVE, which stands for United States Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability, is a government-industry partnership among the U.S. Department of Energy; USCAR, representing FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors; five energy companies – BP America, Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, Phillips 66 Company, and Shell Oil Products US;  two utilities – Southern California Edison and Michigan-based DTE Energy; and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

The U.S. DRIVE mission is to accelerate the development of pre-competitive and innovative technologies to enable a full range of affordable and clean advanced light-duty vehicles, as well as related energy infrastructure.  Goals include the following:

•  Enable reliable hybrid electric, plugged-in hybrid  and range-extended electric, and battery el ectric vehicles, with performance, safety and costs comparable to or better than advanced conventional vehicle technologies, supported by the widespread availability of electric charging infrastructure.
• Enable reliable fuel cell electric vehicles with performance, safety and costs comparable to or better than advanced conventional vehicle technologies, supported by viable hydrogen storage and the widespread availability of hydrogen fuel.
• Significantly improve the efficiency of vehicles powered by advanced internal combustion powertrains and vehicle fuel systems while protecting the environment.
• Improve the efficiency of all vehicle types by using lightweight materials to reduce vehicle mass.

U.S. DRIVE builds on the successes of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) and FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership (FC&FP) and retains the core attributes and members of the FC&FP.  However, the transition to U.S. DRIVE reflects changes within the automotive industry and the evolution of national advanced transportation goals.  

USCAR, representing Chrysler Group, Ford and General Motors, was a core member in the creation of both PNGV and the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership.  Both partnerships helped to advance the development of critical enabling technologies and achieved considerable success in supporting the government’s national transportation and energy security goals. USCAR is committed to playing an equally strong technical role in U.S. DRIVE.

U.S. DRIVE Roadmaps

DOE EERE Vehicle Technologies Office

R & D News Highlights