GAO Releases Progress Report on PNGV

A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report on the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), Cooperative Research: Results of US-Industry Partnership to Develop a New Generation of Vehicles (GAO/RCED-00-81), demonstrates some of the difficulties public-private research collaborations encounter when attempting to measure results or progress.

The report focuses on four areas: 

• progress made by PNGV toward its goals;
• overview of federal funding levels throughout PNGV’s history;
• technologies developed through the partnership; and,
• comparison of research conducted by the automobile manufacturers with that conducted under the auspices of the Partnership.

The goals established in 1993 for PNGV included increasing U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing; utilizing commercially viable innovations from research in conventional vehicles; and improving fuel efficiency to 80 miles per gallon by 2004. GAO concluded that it is too early to gauge any increase in U.S. competitiveness. However, there has been some success in implementing commercially viable, incremental improvements in existing vehicles. Much of the focus has been on attaining the 80 miles per gallon fuel efficiency.

GAO found inroads have been made in developing technologies through PNGV in the areas of fuel efficiency and manufacturing processes. The majority (84%) of the funding has been directed toward fuel efficiency and emissions reduction. The remaining funds have been dedicated to improving manufacturing through advanced materials, improving machining and processing, and manufacturing new components for use in fuel cells.

In comparing research undertaken via PNGV and that undertaken separately by the Big Three auto manufacturers, the GAO found PNGV research to be more of a long-term basic scientific nature focusing on fuel efficiency and manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, research undertaken outside of PNGV by the three manufacturers is of a proprietary nature and is focused on meeting customer desires and complying with government regulations.

For more information on this and other GAO reports, visit the GAO home page at http://www.gao.gov