VTO Presents 2023 Awards at the Annual Merit Review

Yesterday, at its 2023 Annual Merit Review Plenary, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) presented its annual awards to individuals from partner institutions for contributions to overall program efforts and to recognize research, development, demonstration, and deployment achievements in specific areas. 

This year’s awardees were: 

Distinguished Achievement Awards 

• Marca Doeff, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: For three decades of world-class research in lithium (Li)- and sodium-based battery research pushing the boundaries of advanced electrochemical energy storage for vehicles.
• Wu Xu, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: For world-class research on electrolytes for Li-based batteries pushing the boundaries of advanced electrochemical energy storage for vehicles.
• Brij Singh, John Deere: For outstanding contributions and insightful technical expertise to VTO for electric drive technologies and off-road vehicle research and development.
• Doug DeVoto, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: In recognition of outstanding contributions to the VTO Electric Drive Technologies advanced power electronics packaging and reliability R&D.
• Dean Pierce, Oak Ridge National Laboratory: For leading a Lightweight Materials Consortium development effort resulting in a tool steel alloy with the potential to increase heavy-duty engine efficiency utilizing low carbon fuels.
• Amanda McAlpin, Argonne National Laboratory: In recognition of loyal dedication to the Technology Integration program and commitment to EcoCAR and the Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program.
• Bin Wang, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: For outstanding leadership in the coordination of a multi-lab effort to synthesize medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle (EV) charging needs modeling.

Team Awards 

• Daimler Truck North America, LLC: In recognition of unique achievements in the field of heavy-duty vehicle efficiency that will contribute to more than doubling freight truck ton-miles per gallon.
• Volvo Group North America: In recognition of unique achievements in the field of heavy-duty vehicle efficiency that will contribute to more than doubling freight truck ton-miles per gallon.
• Ford Motor Company: In recognition of unique achievements in the field of gasoline engine efficiency improvements that will contribute to a significant increase in pickup miles per gallon.
• Rich Davies, Jeff Gonder, Anna Spurlock, David Smith, and Aymeric Rousseau; SMART Mobility Steering Committee: For ending SMART 2.0 on a high note by distilling and organizing hundreds of consortium insights into high-impact stakeholder engagement.
• Alex Plotkowski, Amit Shyam, Ryan Dehoff, Allen Haynes, Richard Michi, Sumit Bahl, Ying Yang, Jon Poplawsky, Bill Peter, Derek Splitter, Jiheon Jun, and Kevin Sisco; Oak Ridge National Laboratory: For developing DuAlumin-3D a printable lightweight alloy with best-in-class strength, creep, and fatigue resistance for the Powertrain Materials Core Program.
• Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) of Lightweight Alloys for Automotive Components, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: In recognition of innovative ShAPE process development to achieve vehicle component weight saving.

Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards 

• Keith Hardy, Argonne National Laboratory: In recognition of significant contributions to the electrification of the transportation sector and the advancement of the DOE mission to decarbonize transportation.
• Wendy Dafoe, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: In recognition of loyal dedication to the Technology Integration program and commitment to the Clean Cities mission.

Information about the meeting, including a detailed schedule can be found at https://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/annual-merit-review.

Sign up to receive funding notices from EERE!