This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.
June 28, 2007
DOE to Work with Mack Trucks on Advanced Commercial Vehicles
DOE announced on June 28th that it plans to work with Mack Trucks to develop environmentally friendly commercial vehicle technologies. DOE and Volvo AB (the parent company for Mack Trucks) are currently negotiating the terms of the cost-shared project, which will include an analysis of the impact of a variety of biofuels on diesel engines. This effort will aim to increase the fuel economy and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of new long-haul trucks. The project will also include the development of hybrid vehicle technology, coupled with waste heat recovery, for heavy-duty engines.
Because Mack Trucks is a subsidiary of Sweden-based Volvo AB, the project is also the first step in implementing a new agreement to expand cooperation between the United States and Sweden on renewable energy and vehicle technologies. Alexander Karsner, DOE's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, signed the new agreement with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson, who is also Sweden's minister of enterprise and energy. The agreement focuses on producing biomass resources; researching transportation and automotive technologies; reducing the cost of renewable energy; and improving energy efficiency. See the DOE press release.
DOE is also increasing its cooperation with Denmark. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on June 27th between DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Denmark's Risø National Laboratory, the two research institutions will cooperate on research on wind turbines and wind energy systems. The MOU calls for the laboratories to focus on collaborations in areas such as meteorology; aerodynamics; wind turbine structures and materials; control systems; and electrical grid integration. See the NREL press release.
