U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

EV Everywhere Grand Challenge: DOE's 10-Year Vision for Plug-in Electric Vehicles

EV Everywhere, the latest in a series of Clean Energy Grand Challenges, set ambitious, far-reaching goals for the country. Announced by President Obama in March 2012, the initiative focuses on the U.S. becoming the first nation in the world to produce plug-in electric vehicles that are as affordable for the average American family as today's gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 10 years. The strategic investments to meet these goals will:

  • Improve the competitive position of U.S. industry and create jobs through American innovation
  • Enhance energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil
  • Save money by cutting fuel costs for American families and businesses
  • Protect our health and safety by mitigating the impact of energy production and use on climate change.

EV Everywhere aims to enable American innovators to rapidly develop and commercialize the next generation of technologies to achieve the sufficient PEV cost, range, and charging infrastructure necessary for widespread deployment. A task such as this requires partnership among the private sector, the Federal government, Congress, states and communities, national laboratories, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and individual citizens. In addition to collaborating with outside stakeholders, the DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office is working closely within the Department, with the Office of Science, Office of Electricity, and ARPA-e.

The EV Everywhere Blueprint outlines the goals and steps for moving forward to achieve the Challenge's goal. It describes the research, development, and deployment needed to meet the overall EV Everywhere goal as well as other aggressive, technology-specific, "stretch goals" established in consultation with stakeholders across the industry. Achieving these goals can enable the purchase cost combined with the operating cost (levelized cost) of an all-electric vehicle with a 280-mile range to be comparable to that of an internal combustion engine vehicle of similar size after five years of ownership.

Graphic showing outline of vehicle with 2022 technology performance and cost targets for key PEV technical areas. Vehicle Weight Reduction - Reduce vehicle weight by nearly 30% (includes body, chassis, interior, electric drive components, and compounding weight reductions); Electric Drive System - Reduce cost from $30/kW in 2012 to $8/kW (1.4 kW/kg, 4 kW/L, 94% efficiency); Battery - Reduce cost from $500/kWh in 2012 to $125/kWh (250 Wh/kg, 400 Wh/L, 2 kW/kg)

The EV Everywhere Blueprint document includes a series of technology performance and cost targets for 2022 in key plug-in electric vehicle technical areas. Shorter-term technical goals are available on the respective pages for research and development in batteries, electric drive systems, and advanced materials.

The Department developed the EV Everywhere Blueprint using feedback from a series of workshops across the country and a public Request for Information. The workshops, held in the summer and fall of 2012, brought together experts from industry, academia, state and local government, and other stakeholder organizations.

EV Everywhere Grand Challenge Kick-Off

Thursday, June 21, 2012 – Hyatt Regency, Dearborn, MI

The EV Everywhere Grand Challenge Kick-Off meeting was attended by senior officials of the Department of Energy and representatives from industry, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers, academia, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Presentations