PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy. Hearings held.
Congressional Research Service
Version 17 · Reported to House with amendment(s) · Sep 11, 2009
Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009 - (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Energy for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2010-FY2014.
Title I: Vehicle Research and Development - (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary to conduct a program of basic and applied research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and emissions of the nation's passenger and commercial vehicles, including activities in the areas of: (1) hybridization or full electrification of vehicle systems; (2) batteries and other energy storage devices, (3) power electronics; (4) engine efficiency and combustion optimization; (5) waste heat recovery; (6) hydrogen vehicle technologies; (7) reduction of vehicle weight, friction, and wear; (8) innovative propulsion systems; (9) hydraulic hybrid technologies; (10) engine compatibility with and optimization for a variety of transportation fuels; (11) infrastructure for alternative fueled and electric or plug-in electric hybrid vehicles; (12) gaseous fuels storage system integration and optimization; and (13) efficient use and recycling of rare earth materials and reduction of precious metals and other high-cost materials in vehicles.
Directs the Secretary to ensure that the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to support activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions, including activities in the areas of: (1) hydrogen vehicle technology; (2) multiple battery chemistries and novel energy storage devices; and (3) communication and connectivity amount vehicles, infrastructure, and the electrical grid.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Requires activities under this Act to be carried out in collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial and transit vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and component manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy suppliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, and independent research laboratories.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) determine whether a wide range of companies that manufacture or assemble vehicles or components in the United States are represented in ongoing public private partnership activities; (2) formalize partnerships with industry-led stakeholder organizations, nonprofit organizations, industry consortia, and trade associations with expertise in advanced automotive and commercial vehicle technologies; (3) develop more efficient processes for transferring research findings and technologies to industry; (4) give consideration to conversion of existing or former vehicle technology manufacturing facilities for researching and developing advanced vehicle technologies; (5) promote the domestic production of such technologies; (6) coordinate activities between relevant DOE programs and offices and other federal agencies; (7) inform other agencies of the potential for demonstrating technologies funded by this Act; and (8) support and utilize state and local government initiatives in advanced vehicle technology development. (Sec. 102) Requires the Secretary to conduct research, development, and demonstration activities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation systems, including technologies for: (1) onboard vehicle, engine, and component sensing and actuation; (2) vehicle-to-vehicle sensing and communication; (3) vehicle-to-infrastructure sensing and communication; and (4) vehicle integration with the electrical grid.
(Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary to carry out a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices, including innovative processes to: (1) increase the production rate and decrease the cost of advanced battery manufacturing; (2) vary the capability of individual manufacturing facilities to accommodate different battery chemistries and configurations; (3) reduce waste streams, emissions, and energy-intensity of vehicle, engine, and component manufacturing processes; (4) recycle and remanufacture used batteries and other vehicle components for reuse in vehicles or stationary applications; (5) produce cost-effective lightweight materials such as advanced metal alloys, polymeric composites, and carbon fiber; (6) produce lightweight high pressure storage systems for gaseous fuels; (7) design and manufacture purpose-built hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles and components; and (8) produce permanent magnets for advanced vehicles.
(Sec. 104) Authorizes activities under this Act to include construction, expansion, or modification of new and existing vehicle, engine, and component research and testing facilities for: (1) testing or simulating interoperability of a variety of vehicle components and systems; (2) subjecting vehicle platforms to fully representative duty cycles and operating conditions; and (3) developing and demonstrating a range of chemistries and configurations for advanced vehicle battery manufacturing and test cycles for new and alternative fuels and other advanced vehicle technologies.
Title II: Medium and Heavy Duty Commercial and Transit Vehicles - (Sec. 201) Requires the Secretary, in partnership with relevant research and development programs in other federal agencies and industry stakeholders, to carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial and transit vehicles, including activities in the areas of: (1) engine efficiency and combustion research; (2) on board storage technologies for compressed and liquefied natural gas; (3) development and integration of engine technologies designed for natural gas operation of a variety of vehicle platforms; (4) waste heat recovery; (5) heavy hybrid, hybrid hydraulic, plug-in hybrid, and electric platforms and energy storage technologies; (6) reduction of friction, wear, and engine idle and parasitic energy loss; (7) advanced lightweighting materials and vehicle designs; (8) increasing load capacity per vehicle; (9) recharging infrastructure; (10) hydrogen vehicle technologies; and (11) retrofitting advanced technologies onto existing truck fleets and integration of advanced systems onto a single truck and trailer platform.
Requires: (1) the Secretary to appoint a Director to coordinate such activities in such vehicles; and (2) the partnership to report annually to Congress on activities, active industry participants, efforts to recruit new participants, progress of the program in meeting goals and timelines, and a strategic plan for funding of activities across agencies.
(Sec. 202) Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms with a goal of improving overall freight efficiency by 50%; (2) develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions; (3) evaluate heavy vehicle performance; and (4) undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for heavy duty nonroad equipment and seek opportunities to transfer relevant research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors.
Authorizes the Secretary to construct heavy duty truck and bus testing facilities.
People & committees
Rep. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI-9] · D–MI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy. Hearings held.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 312 - 114 (Roll no. 709).
House roll call 709 · Individual votesPassed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 312 - 114 (Roll no. 709).
House roll call 709 · Individual votesOn motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 180 - 245 (Roll no. 708).
House roll call 708 · Individual votesThe previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H9590)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Broun (GA) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment providing a limitation on future authorizations to the extent that no authorizations for programs contained in the bill may be made unless they follow a year in which the annual Federal budget deficit did not exceed $500,000,000.
Mr. Broun (GA) moved to recommit with instructions to Science and Technology. (consideration: CR H9589-9591; text: CR H9589)
The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. (text: CR H9575-9577)
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H9589)
The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 3246.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of amendments which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Massa amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Massa demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Massa amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Altmire amendment.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Donnelly amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mrs. Biggert demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Donnelly amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Cohen amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Marshall amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Gordon amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Gordon (TN) amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Posey ammendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Peters amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Broun (GA) amendment.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Hall (TX) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Broun (GA) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Hall (TX) amendment.
DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 20 minutes of debate on the Gordon (TN) amendment.
Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 745, an amendment in the nature of substitute printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment.
GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 3246.
The Speaker designated the Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi to act as Chairman of the Committee.
House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 745 and Rule XVIII.
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3246 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Science and Technology now printed in the bill. The Chair may entertain a motion that the Committee rise only if offered by the chair of the Committee on Science and Technology or his designee. The Chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the enacting words of the bill.
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 745. (consideration: CR H9570-9588, H9588-9591)
Rule H. Res. 745 passed House.
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 745 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3246 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Science and Technology now printed in the bill. The Chair may entertain a motion that the Committee rise only if offered by the chair of the Committee on Science and Technology or his designee. The Chair may not entertain a motion to strike out the enacting words of the bill.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 142.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science and Technology. H. Rept. 111-254.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science and Technology. H. Rept. 111-254.
Ms. Woolsey asked unanimous consent that the Committee on Science, Space and Technology have until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 11 to file a report on H.R. 3246. Agreed to without objection.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
Referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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