Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Battery Powered Hybrid Emergency Relief Truck: ‘H2Rescue’ | W81EWF20FOA0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF20FOA0001

The Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Battery Powered Hybrid Emergency Relief Truck: H2Rescue funding opportunity is a joint federal effort to support the design, build, testing, and real-world demonstration of an emergency relief truck powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and a battery in a hybrid configuration. The award is structured as a single cooperative agreement, meaning the government expects to be actively involved in the project rather than simply providing funds with minimal oversight. The lead issuing organization is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), specifically the Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), operating under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2358, which supports research and development related to military needs.

Multiple agencies are backing the effort because the technology lines up with overlapping missions. Support comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office and DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, the U.S. Army Futures Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In practical terms, this signals that the project is meant to be relevant not only to military operations and future tactical or support vehicles, but also to civilian emergency response, disaster relief, and resilient power needs where quiet, clean, and flexible energy systems can make a major difference.

The core objective is to produce a functional hybrid emergency relief truck that can be validated through testing and demonstration. The government is looking for an integrated vehicle platform that leverages hydrogen fuel cells for sustained energy and batteries for buffering, peak loads, and efficient power management. The anticipated benefits highlight why hydrogen and fuel cells are being considered for emergency scenarios: quieter operation than conventional diesel trucks (important for night operations, hospitals, shelters, and certain tactical contexts), reduced or eliminated tailpipe emissions at the point of use, and the ability to provide load-following exportable power. That exportable power is described as microgrid-capable, meaning it could support temporary power for critical facilities or field operations and dynamically respond as loads rise and fall, similar to how a generator would be used today, but with different performance and emissions characteristics.

Beyond propulsion and electricity generation, the opportunity also emphasizes secondary outputs that can be valuable during disasters and deployments: water production and usable heat. Fuel cells can produce water as a byproduct of the electrochemical reaction, and they also generate heat that can potentially be captured for warming shelters, supporting de-icing needs, or other thermal uses. The FOA frames these combined capabilities as a way to enhance response capacity by turning a vehicle into a mobile energy and support asset rather than only a transportation platform.

Administratively, this is a discretionary, science and technology and research and development funding action with a single expected award. The funding opportunity number is W81EWF20FOA0001, and the CFDA listing is 12.630. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is listed as $1,100,000, with one award anticipated. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity unless further limitations are stated in the FOA text under additional eligibility information.

Applications were directed to be submitted by the stated deadline (originally March 31, 2020), with submission allowed either by email or through Grants.gov, depending on the instructions in the full announcement. Standard federal registration requirements apply: applicants needed a DUNS number (now commonly replaced in federal systems by a Unique Entity Identifier, though the FOA itself references DUNS), an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), and Grants.gov registration if applying through the portal. The FOA and required forms were made available on Grants.gov, and the announcement points applicants to the FOA section that details the complete submission process. Overall, the opportunity is essentially a targeted, interagency-backed push to field a prototype emergency relief truck that demonstrates how hydrogen fuel cell and battery hybrid systems can deliver transportation plus resilient, exportable power and other useful byproducts in high-need response environments.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Battery Powered Hybrid Emergency Relief Truck: ‘H2Rescue’" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 31, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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