$45m is being ploughed into US research and development for new vehicle technologies.
The US Energy Department has awarded 38 new research grants to seek out further improvements in fuel efficiency and lowering transportation costs.
Over and above the $45m government pot, which will go to universities, component manufactures and automakers themselves, a further $3m is being contributed by the US army to support the projects.
Amongst the R&D activities are four fuels and lubricants projects, with funding of around $2.5m, aimed at developing advanced fuels and lubricants that can reduce friction losses and increase the efficiency of existing cars on the market, as well as the next generation passenger vehicles.
Ford has separately won $350,000 for a project to adapt lubricant technologies from turbo-powered machinery for use in other axle applications.