Re: Draft Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute and the National Plug-In Partners Campaign submitted comments to the DOE stating that the Draft PHEV R&D Plan is too conservative. They urge the DOE to accelerate battery development timelines to match industry progress (e.g., GM and Tesla), expand the scale of demonstration projects, and incorporate smart grid/V2G capabilities into the research scope.

• The EESI and the National Plug-In Partners Campaign argue that the DOE's proposed timeline for battery development and design is too conservative and lacks the urgency needed to bring PHEVs to market within 3-5 years. They note a discrepancy where the DOE's second phase of design does not begin until FY 2012, which is two years after General Motors' tentative 2010 target for the mass production of the Chevrolet Volt.
• The authors criticize the DOE's proposed OEM validation and demonstration project, which consists of 10-20 vehicles across 3-5 cities between 2008 and 2010, stating that a project of this size and duration is insufficient to accelerate large-scale PHEV deployment.
• The document expresses concern that the DOE plan ignores smart grid technologies, such as 'smart charging' systems and vehicle to grid (V2G) capabilities. The authors recommend that the DOE require all test and demonstration vehicles to be 'smart grid-capable' to allow for simultaneous technology development.
• The authors highlight existing industry progress as evidence that the DOE should accelerate its goals, citing Tesla Motors' existing lithium-ion battery-powered all-electric car and interest from automakers including Ford Motor Company, Toyota, and DaimlerChrysler.

APA

Werner, C., & Duncan, R. (2007). Re: Draft Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comment-does-office-of-freedomcar-vehicle-technologies-draft-phev-rd-plan

Chicago

Werner, Carol, and Roger Duncan. Re: Draft Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2007. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comment-does-office-of-freedomcar-vehicle-technologies-draft-phev-rd-plan.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Werner |first1=Carol |last2=Duncan |first2=Roger |title=Re: Draft Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=28 March 2007 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comment-does-office-of-freedomcar-vehicle-technologies-draft-phev-rd-plan |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{werner2007draft, author = {Werner, Carol and Duncan, Roger}, title = {{Re: Draft Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R\&D Plan}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2007}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comment-does-office-of-freedomcar-vehicle-technologies-draft-phev-rd-plan}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }