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In January 2002, USCAR and the U.S. Department of
Energy teamed together to create the FreedomCAR
Partnership.
In September 2003, the
FreedomCAR effort expanded to become the FreedomCAR and Fuel
Partnership, adding five energy companies* – BP America, Chevron
Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Shell Hydrogen
LLC – to the USCAR/DOE partnership. It is supported by numerous
suppliers, research institutions and universities.
The “CAR” in FreedomCAR
stands for Cooperative Automotive Research.
The “Freedom” in FreedomCAR frames the
partnership’s principles. These are:
- Freedom from dependence on imported oil;
- Freedom from pollutant emissions;
- Freedom for Americans to choose the kind of vehicle they want
to drive, and to drive where they want, when they want; and
- Freedom to obtain fuel affordably and conveniently.
The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership’s mission is
to develop and advance high-risk research needed to create component
and infrastructure technologies that will:
- enable a full range of affordable cars light trucks and the
fueling infrastructure for them;
- reduce the dependence of the nation’s personal transportation
system on imported oil;
- minimize harmful vehicle emissions, without sacrificing
freedom of mobility and freedom of vehicle choice; and
- enable transition to a hydrogen transportation
economy.
A major thrust of the Partnership is to
examine and advance collaborative research and development of
technologies to enable high volume production of affordable hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles and the national hydrogen infrastructure to support
them. The Partnership also examines and advances R&D for other
advanced automotive technologies through the continuation of key
enabling research on advanced internal combustion engines and emission
control systems; lightweight materials; power electronics and motor
development; high-power/energy battery development; and alternative
fuels. Each of these advanced technologies also has the potential to
dramatically reduce oil consumption and environmental impacts in
conventional, hybrid and/or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
*In addition to the
Tech Teams listed above, the energy partners and DOE also
facilitate research through the Hydrogen Delivery Tech Team, Hydrogen
Production Tech Team and the Fuel Pathway Integration Tech
Team.
Publications
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R & D News Highlights
Interim Report on FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership is Issued by the National Research Council
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 29, 2009 – A letter report recently issued by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies gives high marks to the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership as “essential for a transition to vastly different light-duty passenger vehicles” and recommends broadening its scope. [...] Read More
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