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One of the keys to translating the trade show excitement around electric vehicles into widespread consumer adoption is driving down costs, and one area that continues to be a focus across the industry is reducing the cost of electric motors.

Secretary Chu toured the floor of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where he had the chance observe how technological innovations like the ones developed by the Energy Department and their partners are being incorporated into the next generation of vehicles.

With so many options, it can be hard to decipher what car is right for you, or if there’s a clear economic benefit in trading up to a new vehicle. Fortunately, the Energy Department offers a number of tools that can help consumers save money and fuel, whether you’re in the market for a new vehicle or trying to make the most of your current one.

A look at how electric vehicles (EVs) work and what current and future models are doing to cut transit costs, reduce emissions, and strengthen our nation's energy security.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy works in partnership with industry to develop, build, operate and validate integrated biorefineries across the country at various scales (pilot, demonstration, and commercial). One such project, led by ClearFuels-Rentech, recently celebrated the completion of a pilot-scale, biorefinery in Commerce City, Colorado.

From transporting the oil necessary to fuel jets and vehicles to supplying battery packs to infantry, energy plays a central role in almost everything the U.S. military does. Because of this reliance, it’s imperative that the military cultivate energy sources that are not subject to the whims of outside nations. While renewables like solar are playing a large role in this effort, advanced biofuels produced domestically are rapidly becoming another choice for transportation fuel.

How fuel cell powered lift trucks are helping companies like Baldor Specialty Foods ensure that their customers have access to the freshest seasonal produce.

When most people go to the car dealership, they take a hard look at the vehicle’s window sticker. But that initial price doesn’t tell the whole story.

In the U.S., businesses tend to invest in research that will pay off in the short term. National laboratories are filling a gap by conducting the essential research that will change the game 10 to 20 years down the road. Learn more about how years of conducting advanced research in both the private and public sectors led to battery technology that made electric cars possible.

The Solar Village has been open to the public on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park for seven days now, which means the 2011 Solar Decathlon is fully underway.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu Sept. 23 announced the Department finalized a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of one of the nation's first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants.

Many great technology stories have started with just one humble computer and a desk. Twenty years ago this month, the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) started just this way at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).