When the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) requested proposals for its first round of funding, it received thousands of them, but only 43 received any cash. Some of the other proposals will get a second chance in another funding round focused on three interesting areas of research, which Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today.

The first is research into something called "electrofuels," which the agency describes as a "new paradigm for the production of liquid fuels." The idea is to engineer organisms that can convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels such as diesel, but not through photosynthesis. It sounds a little convoluted. First you take energy from the sun and use it to produce hydrogen, electricity, or some other "energy carrier." Engineered organisms then use this energy to convert carbon dioxide into fuel. The hope is that this will prove more efficient than photosynthesis.

I'm working on a story that will have more detail on this approach to making fuels; I hope to get it up on the website this week.

The agency will also be funding research into cheap, high energy batteries and into carbon dioxide capture from coal fired power plants. The first round also funded some projects in this area.

One of the most exciting battery chemistries for electric vehicles is lithium-sulfur--it has the potential to store three times more energy than the lithium-ion batteries currently used in electric cars. Historically, however, it's had a number of problems. Early prototypes could only be recharged a few times, the lithium metal used in one of the electrodes caused short circuits and can react violently with water, creating a safety concern, and the carbon that makes the sulfur electrode conductive takes up too much space, decreasing storage capacity.

Earlier this year we reported on several advances geared toward addressing these problems, and noted that these advances had caught the eye of the chemical giant BASF, which is now working to bring lithium-sulfur batteries to market. But challenges remain, including bringing down costs. Now the Department of Energy has also taken an interest in the technology. This week Sion Power Cooperation (which is working with BASF) announced that it has received a three-year, $800,000 DOE grant to further develop the lithium-sulfur batteries for electric vehicles.

Startup Fisker Automotive has produced a couple of prototype luxury vehicles that also happen to be good for the environment (at least in theory--more below). The federal government is stepping in to help bring them, and some cheaper family cars, to market.

The Department of Energy announced today it will give Fisker a conditional $528 million loan. The first $169.3 million will help with the engineering that still needs to be done before it can start manufacturing its $87,900 luxury sedan next summer. That's something of a delay--Fisker had previously planned to start producing cars later this year.

The remaining money will be for a new project, called Project Nina, which will develop a $39,900 family sedan, Fisker Automotive says.

Both vehicles are plug-in hybrids that are powered by electricity. For short commutes, the car can run on energy stored in a battery that has been charged by plugging it in. For longer trips, an on-board gasoline engine generates electricity.

The environmental benefits of the vehicle--at least the luxury sedan--will depend on how the driver chooses to operate it. In sport mode, which produces the best acceleration, the gas engine is used to boost power even during short commutes. The driver will need to select stealth mode to drive gas-free. I wonder what kind of fuel economy ranking this car will get.

Fisker is predicting annual sales of 100,000 for its cheaper family vehicle, numbers that seem optimistic after the reportedly poor showing of the first plug-in hybrid, made by the Chinese automaker BYD.

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