EERE eXCHANGE: FAQs

Question 1: Does the current FOA-667 include “conductive hands free charging” technology and if so, where can I find documentation stating so.
Answer 1: The FOA does not request conductive charging technology. Please refer to PART I of the FOA for a technical description of the FOA requirements.

Question 2: If the FOA-667 does not include the “hands free charging” technologies, whom should I contact to ask him / her to initiate a process to change the FOA-667’s bias from “wireless charging” to “hands-free charging”.
Answer 2: The Funding Opportunity Announcement "Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles" has been released and the FOA requirements have been carefully established by DOE. DOE does not anticipate making any changes in the technical intent or direction of the FOA at this time.

Question 3: 1. The FOA states that DOE expects $12 million to be available for the awards under the announcement, and a recent press release states that DOE currently plans to make $4 million available for FY 2012 and request an additional $8 million from Congress, pending successful completion of project milestone. How will these two tranches of funding affect the awards? Are award recipients guaranteed funding through all three phases of the project?
Answer 3: DOE plans to obligate $4M for awards in FY2012. This program is planned to continue to have $4M annually, subject to congressional appropriations for the program area. Recipients are not guaranteed funding through all three phases of the project. In addition to being subject to the availability of funds through congressional appropriation, the projects will be structured with continuation points at which a decision is made whether to move the project forward. In the event the project does not move forward more funds will not be applied to the project.

Question 4: Must award recipients begin Phase I of the project by any particular date?
Answer 4: It is expected that award recipients will begin Phase I at the start of the project. Awards are expected to be in place by September 30, 2012.

Question 5: What are the policy factors and evaluation criteria that DOE will take into account when reviewing and selecting applicants?
Answer 5: The program policy factors and merit review evaluation criteria are outlined in Section V of the FOA.

Question 6: Which national laboratories will be involved in the independent evaluations?
Answer 6: Multiple DOE national laboratories may be used in the independent evaluation. A specific DOE national laboratory has not been identified at this time.

Question 7: The amount of new awards of $12,000,000. Is that inclusive or exclusive of the cost sharing as described for each phase of the grant?
Answer 7: Section II – Award Information, Part B – Estimated Funding – which speaks to the Federal funding expected to be available for new awards under this FOA. Part C – Maximum and Minimum Award Size - speaks to the maximum amount and minimum amount of Federal funding for an individual award under this FOA. Therefore, the $12 million is only Federal funding and doesn't include the required cost share for a project. For information on the cost share requirements of this FOA, please refer to Section III-Eligibility Information, Part B-Cost Share, this part clearly outlines the cost share requirements of each Phase and for the FOA.

Question 8: We are in the process of putting together our LOI for the above grant FOA and I was hoping for a clarification. We currently have a bench top prototype for wireless recharging and have been working with OEM's of light weight vehicles as well as paratransit and bus manufacturer's, we were hoping to include shuttle buses to Phase III of this FOA. The FOA says a maximum of 10,000 can we include one shuttle and 4 vehicles?
Answer 8:

We ask that all potential applicants carefully read the entire Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from beginning to end in order to make a determination of whether to apply or not to apply based upon the information outlined in the FOA. The Department of Energy cannot make and will not make any determination up front on whether an application will be acceptable or not.

The technical requirements of the FOA are referenced in Section I – Funding Opportunity Description, specifically, Parts A, B, and C, specifically Part C, addresses the objective of this FOA which clearly identifies the intent as being for a light duty vehicle application. Each potential applicant must make an informed business decision on what to include in their application based upon the information contained in the FOA.

Question 9: There are many medium weight vehicles that have a GVW slightly over 10,000 pounds (example, 11,500 pounds). Will an application be automatically disqualified if the target vehicle for the wireless system is above the 10,000 pound limit as expressed in the grant outline?
Answer 9:

We ask that all potential applicants carefully read the entire Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from beginning to end in order to make a determination of whether to apply or not to apply based upon the information outlined in the FOA. The Department of Energy cannot make and will not make any determination up front on whether an applicant is eligible or not eligible or if a particular technology is applicable. The technical requirements of the FOA are referenced in Section I – Funding Opportunity Description, specifically, Parts A, B, and C, this section, specifically Part C, addresses the objective of this FOA which clearly identifies the intent as being for a light duty vehicle application.

Question 10: We are exploring the idea of applying for the funding for EV contactless charging, but we are not sure we would quality. We are a global manufacturer of electric motors, gears, electronic variable speed drives and electric vehicle components. We have close to 1 million square feet of manufacturing and assembly in 6 locations in the US. In 5 locations we perform assembly, application engineering and sales support, and the 6th we manufacture gear components. But, all of our research and development is done in Germany at our global headquarters. Would this disqualify us from potential funding? Any product that we develop and manufacture globally is available for sales in the US via our 5 local assembly/sales offices.
Answer 10:

Please refer to Section III, Part A-Eligible Applicants for the eligibility requirements of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). We ask that all potential applicants carefully read the section on eligibility and make an informed business decision on whether to apply or not to apply under this FOA. The Department of Energy cannot make and will not make any determination up front on whether an applicant is eligible or not eligible to apply under the FOA. Each potential applicant must make an informed business decision based upon the information contained in the FOA.

Please also note, Section V – Application Review Information, Part A, Item 2 – Merit Review Criteria, specifically under Project Approach, letter "i" which will evaluate the extent of work performed in the United States as part of the Merit Review Criteria.

Question 11: I have a question regarding letter of intent. Do we just send the project name and applicant name in the letter of intent through email? Is there a template we have to use or do we have to send that through a word document. Is the letter of intent also submitted through the FOA website? After sending in the letter of intent, will we get a an email/notification for us to move forward in submitting the whole application?
Answer 11:

Section IV - Application and Submission Information, Part B: Letter of Intent and Pre-Application addresses what is required to be included in the letter of intent and how and where to submit the letter of intent. The letter of intent can be submitted as a word file. DOE will not be providing a notification of receipt since DOE is simply using the letter of intent for internal planning purposes.

Question 12: Our company owned and managed by french citizen is currently settled in Japan (HQ) and Mauritius Island (Research Center) working in cooperation with Company X. We are developing systems that are in accordance with your funding opportunity but have no US domestic structure yet. It is in our short term plans to move our research structure and HQ to USA to work in collaboration with competent engineers and universities on our innovative technology leaving only liaison office in japan for our local customers and partners in charge of industrialization as well as size and cost reduction of dedicated parts and modules. Would we be eligible for this opportunity of funding if we pledge to set our HQ and R&D structure in USA if we are successful in receiving the award?
Answer 12:

Please refer to Section III, Part A-Eligible Applicants for the eligibility requirements of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). We ask that all potential applicants carefully read the section on eligibility and make an informed business decision on whether to apply or not to apply under this FOA. The Department of Energy cannot make and will not make any determination up front on whether an applicant is eligible or not eligible to apply under the FOA.

Please also note, Section V - Application Review Information, Part A, Item 2 - Merit Review Criteria, specifically under Project Approach, letter "i" which will evaluate the extent of work performed in the United States as part of the Merit Review Criteria.

Question 13: Could we use following title or subject to FAO’s project : Cordless charging for electric vehicles, Instead of "Wireless charging for electric vehicles"?
Answer 13:

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000667 does not mandate that you title or name your project/application in a particular scheme. You may name your application as you desire. However, DOE does not anticipate making any changes to the FOA or the title of the FOA at this time.

Question 14: I am preparing the letter of intent to be submitted for this opportunity. The FO states that the letter should be e-mailed. However, in reviewing the Exchange website I note that a letter of intent is also an electronic document to be completed online. Are both necessary?
Answer 14:

Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000667) Section IV-Application and Submission Information, Part B(l) Letter of Intent which specifically addresses what the letter of intent should contain and how it should be submitted, specifically in an email to DE-FOA-0000667@netl.doe.gov . You may also submit your letter of intent through the Exchange system as well. Submission of the letter of intent via email or Exchange is acceptable.

Question 15: In reviewing the online application, I note that an online letter of intent is available. I do not have the information required at this time to complete all of this form (ie amount of federal funding). Is the online form required and if so how do I bypass information that is not yet available?
Answer 15:

Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000667) Section IV-Application and Submission Information, Part B(l) Letter of Intent which specifically addresses what the letter of intent should contain and how it should be submitted, specifically in an email to DE-FOA-0000667@netl.doe.gov . You may also submit your letter of intent through the Exchange system as well. Submission of the letter of intent via email or Exchange is acceptable.

Question 16: Relative to IP (intellectual property). Do we retain ownership of intellectual property developed prior to the grant, that may be used in fulfilling the technical requirements and objectives? Do we retain ownership of intellectual property developed under the grant? Is this waived by DOE?
Answer 16:

Please reference Section VIII-Other Information, Part(s) D, E, F, and G of the FOA. In addition, the following information in response to your question is provided as follows:

Rights to Inventions: The government will have certain rights in all subject inventions. A subject invention is one which is conceived or first actually reduced to practice under a DOE award. This may include inventions that have been patented prior to the award of the grant, if the invention is first actually reduced to practice (embodying the concept in a physical form and demonstrating it to be a workable embodiment) under the award. The statutes defining the government’s rights are found at 35 U.S.C. 200 to 212, and the regulations are found at 10 CFR 600.100 (particularly at 600.136). If the invention was first actually reduced to practice outside the scope of the Government award, the Government would not take any rights in the invention.

The Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 202) provides that nonprofit organizations or small business firms have an automatic right to retain title to subject inventions. The Government will still retain certain rights in these inventions, such as a license for Government use and march-in rights. Entities other than nonprofit organizations of small business firms have the right to petition the Department for a waiver of rights to any subject inventions subject to certain conditions.

Rights in Technical Data: Normally, the government has unlimited rights in technical data created under a DOE agreement. Delivery or third party licensing of proprietary software or data developed solely at private expense will not normally be required except as specifically negotiated in a particular agreement to satisfy DOE's own needs or to insure the commercialization of technology developed under a DOE agreement.

Please keep in mind that the Department of Energy (DOE) cannot make any determination on intellectual property requirements prior to the submission and selection of applications leading to negotiations for award.

Question 17: We have missed the deadline for the letter of intent for DE-FOA-0000667. Can we still submit a proposal
Answer 17:

As outlined in Section IV-Application and Submission Information, Part B, Letter of Intent, which states that "Failure to submit such letters will not negatively affect a responsive application submitted in a timely fashion." With that said, you may still submit an application under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000667, as long as it is submitted timely. All applications are due by May 31, 2012, no later than 8:00 pm Eastern Time as outlined in the FOA.

Question 18: Section VIII F., Intellectual Property Developed Under this Program states that any entity, ".can elect to participate in the class waiver if they meet the requirements set forth in the waiver determination." Where can I find the "waiver determination" referenced above to review the requirements set forth in it?
Answer 18:

As outlined in the FOA, Section VIII- Other Information, PART F - Intellectual Property Developed Under This Program. It is DOE's intent to execute/pursue a "patent class waiver". That waiver has not yet been approved, which is why the specific class waiver terms for the projects that are selected under this FOA are not yet available. Please reference the following website which references the standard patent rights provision. It is anticipated that the class waiver terms under this FOA will be similar to the terms contained in the this provision. http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/gcprod/documents/patwaivclau.pdf

Question 19: The registration requirements state, "the other registration requirements (i.e. obtaining a DUNS number, registering with CCR and FedConnect) are necessary for a potential applicant to receive an award under this announcement." In addition to the Prime Applicant, are Subreceiptents required to register with CCR and FedConnect as well in order to receive program funding?
Answer 19: As outlined in the FOA only the prime applicant at this point in time is required to complete the registration requirements contained in Section IV-Application and Submission Information, Part H-Other submission and Registration Requirements. "Prime recipients/contractors are not required to have their subcontractors/subrecipients complete the other registration requirements as time. If a prime's subrecipient/subcontractor wants to bid/apply directly or contracts with the federal government, it must register in CCR, DUNS, eXCHANGEand FedConnect along with any other requirements that maybe necessary to work with the Federal Government.

Question 20: Are Prime Applicants responsible for payments to Subrecipients, or can Subrecipients invoice and receive payment directly from DOE?
Answer 20:

Awards resulting from this FOA are to Prime Recipients only, not to sub-recipients. The "Prime" recipient of the awards resulting from selections under this FOA will be responsible for payments to their sub-recipients. The sub-recipient would not invoice the federal government directly for payments but instead would submit their invoice to the Prime Recipient for reimbursement.

Question 21: Regarding the measurement of efficiency, is the input power to the vehicle measured at the battery input terminals or the input to the vehicle’s on board battery charger? 1a.) Does the efficiency target include all components up to the battery HVDC bus?
Answer 21:

As identified in the FOA, the efficiency is measured from “the wall power source and the GCEDV high voltage direct current bus”. The high voltage bus is measured at the output of the on-board vehicle charger.

Question 22: If we have a vendor who will be doing say $300K worth of third-party testing for us, but not participating as a sub-recipient or project partner on the grant – do we still have to have them do a separate budget since they'll have over $100,000 in costs (as stated on the budgets)?
Answer 22: As outlined in the FOA, Section IV, Application and Submission Information, Part C, numbers 10 and 11, requires a separate budget (number 10) form, SF-424A for each sub-recipient that is expected to perform work estimated to be more than $100,000, including a separate budget justification document (number 11). Based on the requirement of the FOA as it relates to the value of the work to be provided ($300,000) a separate budget form (SF-424A) and budget justification document are required to be submitted.

Question 23: As concerns the merit review criteria for the Project Approach, do we need to comment on how we address these points in the narrative or are these the points by which DOE will evaluate the proposal?
Answer 23: The Merit Review Criteria-Project Approach outlines how DOE will evaluate the Project Approach of the application. The application should address the Merit Review Criterion.

Question 24: Is it the DOE’s intent, in Phase 1 of FOA-667, to fund exclusively the development of new technology (see FOA-667/Amendment 00001, Page 10, Phase 1- Technology Development, “Initial development …”) to accomplish Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles, or is the advancement and integration of pre-existing technology already developed or currently being developed to wirelessly charge electric vehicles acceptable and supportable by the DOE under the guidelines and intent of FOA-667?
Answer 24: The applicant can propose continuing development of an existing concept or technology as work during the project.

Question 25: Are the vehicles tested to be kept by the DOE or will they be returned to us when the testing is competed and the project is finished?
Answer 25: The vehicles will be treated as property and at the conclusion of the project would be subject to the property provisions outlined in 10 CFR 600.

Question 26: Does the DOE require that FOA-667 applicants identify in the application which wireless provider(s) and which wireless frequencies will be used in the execution of the project/program?
Answer 26: DOE requests that you review the requirements as outlined in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Section I-Funding Opportunity Description and Section V-Application Review Information, Part A.

Question 27: Does the DOE require that FOA-667 applicants identify in the application fully committed OEM partners, or are appropriate LOIs (Letters Of Intent) from potential OEM partners that are included in the application acceptable to the DOE as sufficient for the application process?
Answer 27:

As outlined in Section I- Funding Opportunity Description of the FOA, "It is highly encouraged that the proposing applicant team includes a wireless charging technology developer partnered with a vehicle manufacturer currently producing vehicles in the United States, with either the vehicle or wireless charging technology developer as the lead." Please also review Section V-Application Review Information, Part A of the FOA.

Question 28: If we do not have an OEM partner, can we still participate in this solicitation?
Answer 28: As outlined in Section I- Funding Opportunity Description of the FOA, "It is highly encouraged that the proposing applicant team includes a wireless charging technology developer partnered with a vehicle manufacturer currently producing vehicles in the United States, with either the vehicle or wireless charging technology developer as the lead." Please also review Section V-Application Review Information, Part A of the FOA.

Question 29: Regarding the submission of the proposal, can the Technical Point of Contact be any member of the team (e.g. someone employed with a participating company other than the Prime Applicant)? Similarly, if we propose to have one Principle Investigator, can it be any member of the team or only someone employed by the Prime Applicant?
Answer 29:

The Technical Point of Contact and the Principal Investigator would be employed by the Prime Applicant as the prime is the entity that would be receiving the award. The agreement will be between DOE and the Prime. DOE will only contact the prime who would be responsible for contacting any of their sub-recipients or "team" members for required actions concerning the project.

Please keep in mind that the Prime, if selected will be responsible for the successful completion of the project and management of the project since the award is between the Government and the Prime. The Government will NOT have any contractual vehicle setup between any other project partners other than the Prime. The Prime will be responsible for setting up the contractual arrangements between themselves and the other project partners to ensure efforts are completed.

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