We are continuing our survey and, in accordance with your request, will supply you with a summary of the additional information which we develop on or before March 13, 1967. Sincerely, LEE C. WHITE, Chairman. FEDERAL POWER COMMISSION, Hon. WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR MAGNUSON: This supplements our letter of March 7, 1967, responding to your request of February 25, 1967. The Division of Air Pollution, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, supplied us with a copy of a memorandum which formed the basis for Mr. MacKenzie's statement before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. Enclosed is the copy of their memorandum as it was given to us. The sole sources of the information are the Project Briefs (up to October 1966) of the Interagency Advanced Power Group prepared by the Power Information Center, Moore School Building, 200 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We now have a more complete set of these Project Briefs (up to January 1967), and find that for Fiscal Year 1966 the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration committed in excess of $20 million for research in the electrochemical field of research-for batteries and fuel cells. This amount does not include funds allocated by the Army Engineering Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Belvoir and others for the construction of Electric Propulsion System Test-Bed Vehicles, or other component research. We realize, of course, that not all the electrochemical research projects undertaken by these government agencies have a direct bearing on electric vehicle research, and many would contribute little or nothing to the knowledge needed for the development of practical electrical road vehicles. Nevertheless, examing these projects individually, we feel that about one-third of the $20 million to be spent by the Government in Fiscal Year 1966 is for projects in electrochemical research which would have direct bearing on the development of electrically powered vehicles. Adding to this the amounts spent for test-bed research and development and for research on components such as controls and chargers, it appears that the $9 million figure for government spending given by Mr. MacKenzie is of the right order of magnitude. We understand that some private companies, listed in the attachment hereto, are involved in electric vehicle, battery, fuel cell, controller, charger, and other related research which would bear directly on the development of electrically powered vehicles. A canvass of at least the larger firms might secure more information on private industry spending. Electric utilities are investing in electric component research. The Edison Electric Institute and General Dynamics Corporation began a joint research program in 1964 on a zinc-air battery. Last September, EEI announced that 14 investor-owned utilities had contributed a total of $150 000 for the project for the remainder of the year. Modest testing and demonstration projects have also been undertaken, such as company use of electric vehicles in the service areas of West Penn Electric Company, TVA, and the East River Electric Cooperative. More complete information will shortly be available on electric utility research contributions when the utilities report for the first time in their annual reports for 1966 expenditures of $5,000 or more for research and development, as provided by our Order No. 322, adopted on May 26, 1966 (31 FR 7897). Sincerely, LEE C. WHITE, Chairman. LIST OF PRIVATE COMPANIES BELIEVED TO BE CONDUCTING ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND COMPONENT RESEARCH MEMORANDUM-U.S. GOVERNMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE To: Dr. B. J. Steigerwald. From: A. H. Sweet. DECEMBER 1, 1966. Subject: Government Research Contracts on Batteries and Fuel Cells. Compiled in the attached tables is a listing of the government research contracts on batteries and fuel cells. The sole source for this listing is the Interagency Advanced Power Group Project Briefs (PIC Sheets) up to the October, 1966 series. The agencies sponsoring research are: Air Force groups; U.S. Army Electronics Command at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey; U.S. Army ERDL at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia; various NASA locations; and several Navy groups. The content of the columns in the tables is explained below: Column 1: the title of the project Column 2: the contractor performing the research Column 3: the effort expended through FY 1965. Where dollar figures are available, they have been used. If no dollar figures are available, man-year figures have been used. Column 4 the effort expended during FY 1966 and presently being expended in FY 1967. Where only one figure is listed, it describes the FY 1966 effort. Where two figures are listed, the one on top refers to the FY 1966 effort; the one on the bottom, the FY 1967 effort now committed. For Columns 3 and 4, where a project is known to be completed, a zero is listed. If its status is unknown, a "?" has been used. Summary table.-Government research contracts on batteries and fuel cells through fiscal year 1965, $20,165,553 during fiscal year 1966, $8,029,754; in progress, fiscal year 1967, $683,896 AGENCIES Summary table.-Government research contracts on batteries and fuel cells through fiscal year 1965, $20,165,553 during fiscal year 1966, $8,029,754; in progress, fiscal year 1967, $683,896—Continued U.S. ARMY ELECTRONICS COMMAND, FORT MONMOUTH Summary table.—Government research contracts on batteries and fuel cells through fiscal year 1965, $20,165,553 during fiscal year 1966, $8,029,754; in progress, fiscal year 1967, $683,896—Continued 5-kv.-a. reformer-Fuel cell power source. Compact hydrogen-air, multicell fuel cell stack. Molten carbonate fuel cell electrodes.. Study of molten carbonate hydrocarbon-air fuel cells. Mechanism of hydrocarbon oxidation and nature of electrocatalysis at a fuel cell anode. Electrocatalysis of hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon derivative oxidation. Mechanism of hydrocarbon anodic oxidation electrocatalysis. Treatment of hydrocarbon fuels for fuel cells. Design analysis of 3.75 kw. (direct current) hydrocarbon-air fuel cell powerplant. Hydrocarbon-air internal reforming fuel cells.. Direct oxidation hydrocarbon-air fuel cell systems. Electrodes for hydrocarbon-air fuel cells. Hydrocarbon and air fuel cell powerplant, 1.5 kw. (direct current). Oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons. Solid membranes for hydrogen purification for hydrocarbon fuel cells. Methods for protecting against sulfur-containing hydrocarbon fuels in a fuel cell hydrogen generator. |