SuperTruck 3 | DE FOA 0002450

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002450

The SuperTruck 3 funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002450) is a U.S. Department of Energy grant competition run through the National Energy Technology Laboratory that targets major advances in medium- and heavy-duty freight transportation. It sits within DOE's broader push to cut transportation emissions while keeping freight movement affordable and reliable. The work is aligned with two DOE offices: the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), which supports research, development, demonstration, and deployment of efficient and clean transportation technologies, and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), which focuses on enabling large-scale hydrogen production, delivery, storage, and end use, including in medium- and heavy-duty vehicle applications.

At its core, the opportunity is asking teams to propose projects that improve freight transport efficiency beyond what is currently being done in the real world, using one or more vehicles in Classes 4 through 8 (a range that covers many commercial trucks from medium-duty box trucks up through the heaviest long-haul tractors). What makes the program distinctive is that it is not only about making a single vehicle more efficient in isolation; it emphasizes freight as a system. That means proposals can involve vehicle technology improvements as well as the broader operational, logistics, and freight-system elements that influence fuel use and emissions, with the expectation that the combined approach delivers a much larger benefit than incremental vehicle tweaks alone.

The stated performance target is ambitious: projects are expected to aim for at least a 75% system-level greenhouse gas reduction. This is framed as a system outcome achieved by improving the efficiency of the vehicle(s) and the freight system together. In addition to large emissions reductions, DOE is signaling that successful projects should lower total cost of operation while also improving vehicle performance and reliability. In practice, that sets a multi-objective bar: the government is not just funding a technology demonstration that looks good on paper, but efforts that can plausibly translate into commercially relevant freight solutions where fleets would actually see value through cost, uptime, and performance.

Administratively, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, technical direction, milestones, and regular reviews) rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity category is discretionary, and eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicants of many entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full announcement. The program is associated with CFDA number 81.087, and it is categorized under energy, environment, science and technology/R&D, and transportation (with opportunity zone benefits also listed in the activity categories).

In terms of funding scale and timing, the opportunity listed an award ceiling of $33,000,000 per award and anticipated up to 6 awards, indicating a program designed for large, complex projects or consortia rather than small pilot studies. The FOA creation date is April 15, 2021, and the original closing date is July 12, 2021, which reflects a defined submission window typical of competitive DOE solicitations.

For supporting details and official materials, the listing points to https://epicweb.ee.doe.gov, and it also notes that the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) was moving application submission for this announcement to the EERE Exchange portal at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx, with the announcement expected to be available there no later than February 3, 2021. Taken together, SuperTruck 3 is essentially a high-dollar DOE effort to push the next leap in freight efficiency and deep emissions cuts across real-world medium- and heavy-duty trucking, with flexibility to incorporate advanced powertrains and fuels (including hydrogen-related pathways) as part of an integrated freight-system strategy.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, environment, opportunity zone benefits, science and technology and other research and development, transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SuperTruck 3" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 12, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $33,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002450

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