By: Mike Kastner, NTEA managing director
This article was published in the June 2016 edition of NTEA
News.
The Senate passed a wide-ranging bipartisan energy bill
(S. 2012) by a vote of 85–12. The NTEA-supported Vehicle Innovation Act (VIA) —
introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lamar
Alexander (R-TN) — was included as a provision in this legislation.
The House previously passed a more narrowly focused bill
(HR 8). A formal conference will likely be convened to negotiate differences
between House and Senate versions. The House version does not contain VIA
language. NTEA will educate key House members on the importance of these
provisions.
VIA promotes investments in research and development of
clean vehicle and advanced safety technologies which will create more
fuel-efficient vehicles, reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and
support American auto manufacturers.
“The cars and trucks of the future will be equipped with
technology making them safer and more fuel efficient, and we must ensure that
the United States leads the way in developing these innovations,” said Sen.
Peters. “These emerging technologies will not only help lower fuel costs for
businesses and consumers, their development will help create jobs in Michigan
and across the country. I’m pleased the Senate passed this legislation that will
make critical investments in our manufacturing industry, and I urge the House to
swiftly approve it so that our auto manufacturers and suppliers can continue
developing the next big thing in advanced vehicle technology.”
VIA reauthorizes and modernizes the Department of Energy
Vehicle Technologies Program, which works with light-duty automobile and
medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck manufacturers and suppliers to
conduct research and development to improve vehicle fuel efficiency. Examples of
these technologies include mild hybrid, engine downspeeding, power pack modeling
and testing, advanced boosting systems, hydrogen and natural gas refueling, and
electric vehicle charging technology. In addition, the legislation encourages
development and use of vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems which have
potential to improve fuel efficiency and reduce traffic accidents and
congestion.
“This bipartisan energy bill will help the United States
maintain its brainpower advantage and create an abundance of clean, cheap,
reliable energy to fuel innovation in our free enterprise system. This bill
reauthorizes energy programs in the America COMPETES Act and authorizes the
Department of Energy to double basic energy research over the next 10 years,”
stated Sen. Alexander. “The legislation also authorizes the
Department of Energy to continue with plans to build the world’s fastest
supercomputers, which is essential to national security and competitiveness, and
would create high-wage jobs. I commend Sen. Murkowski (R-AK and Chair of the
Energy and Natural Resources Committee) for her leadership on this broad
bipartisan bill.”
This energy bill reauthorizes the Vehicle Technologies
Office at the Department of Energy, which supports the development of
cutting-edge technologies in the American motor vehicle industry.
“NTEA commends the Senate on passage of this energy
bill,” said NTEA Executive Director Steve Carey. “This will help meet the future
needs of vocational truck users by positively formalizing partnerships between
the government and industry-led stakeholder organizations, nonprofit
organizations and trade associations with expertise in advanced automotive and
commercial vehicle technologies. NTEA thanks Senators Peters, Alexander and
Stabenow for recognizing the energy-saving and fuel efficiency progress
generated by the work truck industry and increasing the support for those
advances, which are critical to the nation’s economy.”
If you have any questions regarding the information in this article,
contact Mike Kastner at 202-552-1600 or email mkastner@ntea.com.