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The successful commercialization of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) can provide significant benefits by reducing the United States' growing dependence on petroleum fuels for transportation; decreasing polluting and greenhouse gas emissions; and facilitating a long-term transition to sustainable renewable energy sources. Recognizing these benefits, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports an active program of long-range R&D to develop electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technologies and to accelerate their commercialization. The DOE Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies (OAAT) supports several innovative R&D programs, conducted in partnership with DOE's national laboratories, industry, other government agencies, universities, and small businesses. The Office has two key R&D cooperative agreements with the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to develop high-energy batteries for EVs and high-power batteries for HEVs.

In these days of emphasizing standardization, Acquisition Reform, Non-Developed Items (NDI) and Commercial- Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technologies, we are facing new challenges associated with these trends. Program managers are pressured to use a standard or COTS battery, while simultaneously, the new systems being developed have increasingly complex and demanding power requirements. Hardware must be developed with shorter schedules, and policies of Acquisition Reform limit the amount of control the government has over the development of a given item. In this paper, we review battery development efforts that have resulted in unexpected problems. Relevant data from both current and past test programs are presented. Recommendations are provided concerning how to best avoid duplication of effort, while ensuring that the final product will have the best chances of succeeding.