Vehicle Innovation Act of 2015

This bill authorizes appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2016-FY2020.

The bill requires DOE to:

• conduct a program of research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities (R&D activities) on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and the emissions of the nation's passenger and commercial vehicles;
• ensure that it continues to support R&D activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions;
• conduct research, development, engineering, demonstration, and deployment activities on connectivity of vehicle roadway, vulnerable road users, traffic control systems, and transportation data systems, including technologies that allow for improved safety, reduced energy and fuel use, optimized traffic flow, and vehicle electrification;
• carry out a program of R&D activities on advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices;
• carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles;
• conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 (heavy duty) truck and trailer platforms;
• develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions and evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics other than those based on miles per gallon and appropriate metrics based on the work performed by nonroad systems; and
• undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad mobile equipment and to seek opportunities to transfer relevant research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors.

DOE may construct heavy duty truck and bus testing facilities.