Bold Leadership To Transform Sustainable Transportation and Mobility Research

Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize Successfully Concludes

NREL successfully guided the DOE Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize to its conclusion, supporting six finalist teams on pilot validation of their proposed concept solutions. Also, NREL organized a Participant Days event, where teams demonstrated how their proposals met the prize’s goals.

Boron-Doped Silicon Nanoparticles Facilitate Facile Processing of High-Performing Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

For new lithium-ion battery designs, NREL researchers used a novel method—plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition—to produce oxide-free silicon (Si). This method synthesized boron-doped Si nanoparticles suitable for anode fabrications.

Behind-the-Meter Storage Team Prevents Runaway in a Battery Module

NREL performed abuse testing on various battery modules to better understand electrical and thermal isolation strategies, showing how these strategies isolated the heat from a single-cell failure and prevented adjacent cells from entering into thermal runaway.

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Modeling Informs Design of 2-Megawatt Electric-Drive System for Aviation Applications

NREL researchers used thermal-fluid, thermochemical, and system reliability modeling to inform a 2-megawatt electric-drive system design for the electrified propulsion of aircraft. To further inform the design, NREL performed thermal finite element and computational fluid dynamics modeling.

Thermal and Thermomechanical Co-Optimization Reduces Thermal Resistance and Stresses in Double-Side-Cooled Power Module

For EVs, NREL researchers designed a dielectric fluid-based, double-side-cooled power module, co-optimizing the thermal and thermomechanical aspects to reduce thermal resistance, temperature variation between devices, and stress.

NextGen Profiles Project Quantifies and Characterizes Electric Vehicle Charging Profiles

To find a solution for lowering EV charging costs, NREL captured high-power charge profiles from commercially available EVs and EV supply equipment under differing conditions to fully quantify charging loads seen by the grid.

Evaluation Platform Evolves To Address Critical Electric Vehicle Needs

For the Electric Vehicle Research Infrastructure evaluation platform, NREL installed a new high-power DC charging vehicle—the Hyundai Ioniq—and a 150-kilowatt Tritium charger, enabling enhanced studies on new EVs and chargers.

Technology Review Supports Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Integration Platform Project

To design and operate a DC charging hub integrated with the grid for EVs, NREL conducted a technology review of different station architectures for both AC-hub and DC-hub stations, as well as other DC microgrid projects.

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Recyclable-by-Design Carbon Fiber Composites Can Be Thermoformed

NREL researchers used recyclable-by-design (RBD) epoxy-anhydride resins for thermoforming carbon-fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs) to take multiple shapes and forms. Thermoforming is possible because the same polyester bonds that enable the recyclability of the material can also change the shape of the material by participating in exchange reactions.

When RBD-CFRCs can be thermoformed into multiple shapes, they can be used in multiple applications. They also can be reformed multiple times, extending the material life, and enabling even greater decarbonization by avoiding the depolymerization and repolymerization processes.

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Kinetic Model Demonstrates Optimization of Combustion for Novel Bio-Derived Diesel Blendstock

Using a combined experimental-theoretical approach, NREL researchers and collaborators created a combustion kinetic model for 4-butoxy heptane, a promising low-net-carbon diesel blendstock for heavy-duty, off-road vehicles that are hard to electrify.

High-Fidelity, Low-Sample-Volume Method Developed for Measuring Critical Jet Fuel Property

In collaboration with the University of Dayton, NREL demonstrated the Advanced Fuel Ignition Delay Analyzer could be used to accurately measure cetane numbers from low-volume samples of sustainable aviation fuels.

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Alternative Fuels Data Center Tool Provides Details on Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Changes

NREL collaborated with DOE, the Internal Revenue Service, and the National Highway Safety Administration to quickly provide at short notice an Alternative Fuels Data Center tool people could use to understand how the Inflation Reduction Act changed tax credits for particular EVs.

Clean Cities Energy and Environmental Justice Initiative Advances Intersectional Solutions for Transportation and Mobility Challenges

At a series of Clean Cities and Environmental Justice Initiative workshops, NREL collaborated with The Greenlining Institute, Argonne National Lab, Kirwan Institute, Equitable Cities, and 30 coalitions to embed equity considerations into existing and future Clean Cities efforts.

NREL Expands Technical Assistance Collaborations for School and Transit Bus Fleets

With Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, NREL established relationships with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Transit Administration to provide technical assistance for school and transit bus fleets, creating resources and providing one-on-one assistance for electric bus adoption.

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National Commercial Vehicle Data Framework Guides Cost-Effective R&D for Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization

For commercial vehicle decarbonization, NREL developed a multipronged data acquisition strategy and a data pipeline, from capture through analysis and dissemination, along with a framework structure to provide access to a broad range of data sources and anonymized data products.

Sophisticated Modeling Framework Estimates the Investment Needed for National Charging Infrastructure

NREL leveraged its EVI-X modeling suite of EV charging infrastructure analysis tools to quantify the needs of those without access to at-home charging, understand the frequency of long-distance travel, and anticipate the needs of ride-hailing drivers.

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Livewire Demonstrates Steady Growth and Adds User-Requested Features To Enhance Data Set Usability

To help DOE’s Livewire Data Platform expand coverage of detailed metadata and quality characterization, NREL researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of Fleet DNA data and added several data sets from the lab’s Transportation Secure Data Center.

Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures for Closely Located Signals Are Interrelated

Automated traffic signal measures from an NREL study in Chattanooga, Tennessee, showed that closely located signal intersections’ energy profiles were interrelated. This will help inform actions for addressing vehicle-energy inefficiencies across an area.

New Analysis Tool Estimates Air Quality Impacts of Federal Charging Infrastructure Investments

NREL and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab developed and applied a modeling framework—the Benefits of Infrastructure in Large-Scale Deployment for Air Quality—to simulate connections between charging infrastructure and EV adoption.

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