Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2011

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES A $1.3 MILLION-PLUS FEDERAL GRANT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC CAR IN NISKAYUNA

DOE Funding to Help GE,Global Research Team Develop Electric Vehicle for Municipal Maintenance

GE Niskayuna to Drive Upstate Job Growth Through Technology Research

Schumer: Investing In Energy Efficiency Will Create Jobs, Save Consumers Money, Reduce Pollution, and Cut Dependence on Foreign Fossil Fuel

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that General Electric, Global Research in Niskayuna will receive a grant totaling $1,362,318 in Department of Energy funding. GE will improve the efficiency of electric vehicles and create a fully functional fleet of smart grid enabled electric vehicles for shipping and municipal maintenance. Specifically, research will ensure measurement and control interfaces directly applicable to parking structures with geometric friendly layouts, and consider full suite authorization to reduce computational costs and overall install costs.

“With GE already a leader in the area, this investment to develop a cutting-edge electric car will grow the Capital District’s High-Tech Corridor while saving consumers money, reducing pollution, and cutting dependence on foreign fossil fuels,” said Schumer. “These funds will also guarantee that clean energy, high-tech jobs are growing Upstate.”

The Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) aims to focus on the development of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that are capable of implementing smart charging of electric vehicles (EVs), referred to as smart grid-capable EVSE. A goal of the OE Smart Grid R&D Program is to develop smart grid transportation electrification while reducing electric charging infrastructure cost.

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