The document is a Notice of Intent (NOI) regarding a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Fiscal Year 2024 Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Batteries & Electrification program. Issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), this NOI outlines the anticipated FOA's focus on supporting clean energy and addressing climate change. The program aligns with the Biden Administration’s goals for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, encouraging equity and environmental justice in clean energy advancements.

The potential FOA is expected to focus on research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) activities critical for electric vehicle (EV) innovation, including smart charge management systems, improving lead-acid battery applications for safety, reducing the risks of electric vehicle fires, and lowering the cost of battery manufacturing. Key areas of interest include: smart charge management for EVs, safety improvements in 12V lead-acid batteries, strategies to prevent cascading EV fires, battery cost reduction, and development of silicon-based anodes and high-energy-density conversion cathodes.

Applicants will be encouraged to form teams with diverse stakeholders, such as utilities, OEMs, and national laboratories, with a focus on including underrepresented groups in STEM fields. The expected awards will be structured as cooperative agreements with an anticipated performance period of 36 months.

Interested applicants should prepare by registering in systems such as EERE eXCHANGE, SAM, and FedConnect. The FOA is expected to be released in July or August 2024, and all applications will be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE platform.