Pioneering Railroad, Oceanic, and Plane Electrification with 1K Energy Storage Systems (PROPEL-1K) | DE FOA 0003163

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003163

The PROPEL-1K (Pioneering Railroad, Oceanic, and Plane Electrification with 1K Energy Storage Systems) opportunity is an ARPA-E funding program aimed at pushing energy storage well beyond today s batteries so that harder-to-electrify transportation segments can realistically move away from combustion. ARPA-E, a Department of Energy organization created by Congress to accelerate high-impact energy technologies, is targeting transformational research and development that can break out of the incremental improvement track typical of mature technologies. The basic idea is to fund higher-risk, potentially disruptive approaches that could establish entirely new cost and performance trajectories, especially where existing commercial incentives tend to be too weak or too slow to support the needed leap.

The program is motivated by the fact that transportation produces roughly 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and while passenger vehicles are increasingly served by conventional battery EVs, a large share of remaining transportation emissions comes from long-distance trucking, aviation, rail, and maritime operations. For many of these heavy-duty and long-range uses, the limiting factor is energy density: even optimistic next-generation batteries and many fuel cell system concepts struggle to provide enough energy per unit mass and volume once you account for full system overhead. PROPEL-1K is structured around the view that broad electrification of aircraft, locomotives, and vessels will require storage systems with step-change improvements, not incremental gains.

Technically, PROPEL-1K focuses on developing alternative energy storage system concepts that can deliver at least a fourfold improvement versus state-of-the-art options, with explicit end targets of 1000 watt-hours per kilogram and 1000 watt-hours per liter. These are referred to as 1K technologies, and the requirement is framed at the net energy storage system level and at end of life, meaning the program cares about real, practical system performance rather than best-case laboratory numbers or beginning-of-life cell metrics. ARPA-E also makes it clear it is especially interested in ideas that are not simple extensions of mainstream electrochemical device thinking or short-term roadmaps, signaling a preference for unconventional but technically grounded pathways.

A key boundary condition is that the solutions should not rely on hydrocarbon-based fuels, whether fossil or synthetic, which steers applicants toward electrochemical and or chemical storage approaches that can support electrified propulsion without continuing carbon-based fuel dependency. Within that scope, the program is meant to catalyze electrification outcomes across three main domains. For aviation, the performance level targeted is meant to enable regional flights of up to about 1000 miles (roughly 700 nautical miles with reserves) for aircraft carrying up to around 100 passengers, a range and payload space that would meaningfully expand the practical envelope for electric or electric-like aircraft architectures. For rail, PROPEL-1K is positioned as a route to electrifying North American rail operations while reducing the need for frequent stops and minimizing charging or refueling infrastructure burdens, which are major barriers for long-haul rail corridors. For maritime use, the program anticipates enabling electrification of vessels operating exclusively in U.S. territorial waters, including ferries, barges, tugboats, and Jones Act freight, where duty cycles and route structures can be compatible with high-energy onboard storage if the storage becomes dense enough.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered as an SBIR STTR-focused ARPA-E Funding Opportunity Announcement, with awards made as cooperative agreements, which typically implies substantial federal involvement during project execution (for example, active project management, milestone-based progress, and coordination). Eligibility is limited to small businesses, and the FOA is posted and managed through the ARPA-E eXCHANGE portal, which is the only accepted submission route. Applicants must register and submit through that system, and ARPA-E states it will not review or consider concept papers submitted by other means, so compliance with the portal process is a practical gate to consideration. Support and questions are handled through designated ARPA-E email contacts and an FAQ page, with a separate help address for technical issues related to the submission system.

The specific listing details provided include Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003163, CFDA 81.135, an expected number of approximately 15 awards, and an award ceiling of 4,241,580. The original closing date shown is October 17, 2023, with a morning deadline time, and applicants were encouraged to submit at least 48 hours early to reduce last-minute portal or validation issues. Overall, PROPEL-1K is best understood as a targeted push for radically higher energy density, system-relevant storage that can unlock practical electrification in aviation, rail, and coastal and territorial maritime operations, where conventional battery improvements alone are unlikely to close the performance gap on the needed timelines.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the opportunity zone benefits, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pioneering Railroad, Oceanic, and Plane Electrification with 1K Energy Storage Systems (PROPEL-1K)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 05, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 17, 2023 Submissions to this FOA are due no later than 930 a.m. Eastern Time on 10/17/2023. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit at least 48 hours in advance of the due date.. (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 $4,241,580.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

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