Objective:
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy is seeking information concerning the current state of development of advanced, high-efficiency internal combustion engines (ICEs) suitable for light truck and SUV applications, as well as an indication of the potential of these engines to meet future vehicle performance, fuel efficiency and emissions requirements. The target vehicle application of interest for the ICEs is in the light-duty 6,001-8,500 lbs GVWR range (in the EPA LDT classification), and includes full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
ARPA-E seeks information on (i) the current status of technical development of any high-efficiency ICE that is suitable for, and capable of meeting the performance, utility and emissions requirements of the above target vehicle application, and (ii) what further technical developments are required before such an engine can be successfully integrated into a target vehicle, as a necessary technical demonstration before the commercialization of that engine can be achieved.
ARPA-E is seeking information on ICEs that currently exist at an advanced level of development, albeit still prior to commercialization and full-scale production. ARPA-E is not interested in unproven ICE technologies, or technologies that have not yet been reduced to practice in the form of operating engines, or engines that do not yet exist in the size and power range suitable for the target vehicle application. Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA-E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative research projects to advance the state of the art of high-efficiency ICEs with the potential for substantial fuel savings in light-duty trucks and SUVs.
Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES contained in the RFI document below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.
Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on September 21, 2018.