US to commit more funds towards electric vehicle research

The US Energy Department wants to allocate a higher percentage of its $3 billion research budget on putting more electric vehicles on the road, as part of a strategy to mitigate pollution and reduce the country’s reliance on imported oil.

Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, is set to release details of a major spending review that could see electric vehicle research being granted a healthy percentage of next years budget.

The Quadrennial Technology Review will be issued next week and will propose which areas of research should be prioritized, in regards to becoming commercialized within the next decade and aiding the reduction of oil use and carbon emissions over the next twenty years.

"The stakes are high for our country, and I am optimistic that we can still lead the world in technological innovation," says Chu in the introduction of the report.

The review highlights the fact that the Department of Energy needs to ensure that it takes into account the private sector in relation to its research spending. “Currently DOE focuses too much effort on researching technologies that are multiple generations away from practical use,” the review comments. However, the review also states that the DOE will withhold 20 percent of its funding for what it calls “out-of-the-box” research, something the private sector tends to steer well clear of.

The review was put together by Chu and a number of top DOE officials, with ideas from a further 600 individuals within the industry and academia contributing to the report. The results stemming from the review will be used as a guide in the planning for fiscal 2013.