Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - September 26, 2008

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein):

S. 3618. A bi11 to establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program to promote research of appropriate technologies for heavy duty plug-in hybrid vehicles, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act, along with my colleague from California, Senator Feinstein. This bill will accelerate research of plug-in hybrid technologies for heavy duty trucks.

The Department of Energy, DOE, administers several grants to speed production of hybrid cars, but DOE does not have a single grant specifically intended for trucks. Truck operators in Maine and around the country are being hit hard by high diesel prices. In 1999, a Maine truck driver could purchase $500 of diesel fuel and drive from Augusta, ME, all the way to Albuquerque, NM. Today, a driver who purchases $500 of diesel and leaves Augusta would not even make it to Altoona, PA, and because diesel prices may well continue to increase, the problem is only getting worse. Plug-in hybrid trucks would make them less susceptible to dramatic swings in oil prices.

Industries turn their trucks over faster than consumers do their cars and can therefore adopt new technologies faster. This means reducing oil consumption by heavy duty trucks could go a long way toward reduce our Nation's oil consumption. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that hybrid trucks could reduce fuel use by as much as 60 percent.

Current hybrid technology works well for cars because they can be made with lightweight materials and run shorter distances. Trucks need to be able to carry heavy loads and, if they are going to be plug-in hybrids, travel long distances in between charges. So, the battery and other technologies needed to make plug-in trucks a reality are more advanced than for cars.

The Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act would direct DOE to expand its research in advanced energy storage technologies to include heavy hybrid trucks as well as passenger vehicles. The focus on plug-ins builds on a proven technology for cars that can drastically reduce our use of foreign oil and enhance the efficiency of the electric grid.

Grant recipients will be required to complete two phases. In phase one, recipients must build one plug-in hybrid truck, collect data and make comparisons to traditional trucks, and report on the fuel savings. In phase two, recipients must produce 50 plug-in hybrid trucks and report on the technological and market obstacles to widespread production. To help with this second phase, grant applicants can partner with other manufacturers. The bill authorizes $16 million for each of fiscal years 2009-2011 for the grant program.

We need a comprehensive approach to addressing the energy crisis. The Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act is one vital piece of that approach. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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