ROBUST AFFORDABLE NEXT GENERATION ENERGY STORAGE (RANGE) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The ROBUST AFFORDABLE NEXT GENERATION ENERGY STORAGE (RANGE) funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0000869) is an ARPA-E program under the U.S. Department of Energy focused on pushing electrochemical energy storage well beyond what conventional industry R and D would typically attempt. ARPA-E was created under the America COMPETES Act to fund high-risk, high-reward energy technologies that can translate strong science into real, disruptive products and, if successful, help create entirely new industries. RANGE sits squarely in that mission by targeting a major barrier to broad electric vehicle adoption: the need for batteries and complete storage systems that deliver longer driving range at lower cost, with strong reliability and safety.

The technical purpose of RANGE is to fund transformational energy storage technologies that improve electric vehicles at the vehicle-system level, not just at the cell level. The program emphasizes maximizing specific energy (how much energy you can store per unit mass) while minimizing the cost of the storage system as actually integrated into a vehicle. In other words, it is not only about achieving a better chemistry on paper; it is about delivering practical, scalable improvements that translate into more miles per charge, less expensive packs, and dependable performance once installed in a real EV.

A central concept in the RANGE program is "robust design" for energy storage. In this context, robust design means battery chemistries and/or physical architectures that avoid thermal runaway and remain resistant to catastrophic failure even when conditions are less than ideal. That includes situations involving manufacturing variability, defects, and abuse scenarios. The intent is to make the energy storage system fundamentally tolerant to problems that can occur in real-world production and operation, rather than relying only on tight manufacturing controls or external protection systems to prevent worst-case failures.

RANGE also highlights "multifunctional" energy storage designs as a key pathway to better vehicle-level outcomes. The program is interested in concepts where the storage system can simultaneously serve other vehicle functions, such as contributing to structural elements like the frame or body, or participating in crash energy management (for example, in crumple zones). By integrating storage into parts of the vehicle that already have to exist for structural or safety reasons, the effective weight penalty of the energy storage can be reduced when considered relative to the full vehicle mass. This reflects a broader systems-engineering approach: improving EV range and efficiency not only by increasing battery energy density, but also by reducing the "non-energy" overhead associated with carrying and protecting the battery pack.

While the technologies funded under RANGE are expected to benefit multiple categories of electrified vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and extended-range electric vehicles, the primary target application is all-electric vehicles (EVs). The program is therefore framed around the requirements and constraints of pure battery-electric platforms, where storage performance, cost, and safety have an outsized impact on consumer adoption and market growth.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, RANGE is a discretionary research and development opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically implies substantial technical involvement by the agency during the project period compared with a more hands-off grant. The opportunity anticipated about 17 awards with an estimated total program funding of $30,000,000. Individual awards were expected to range from $250,000 (floor) up to $10,000,000 (ceiling). Cost sharing is required, which means awardees must contribute a portion of the total project cost from non-federal sources, aligning participants financially with project outcomes and encouraging credible plans for translation and scale-up.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is generally open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement. The CFDA listing associated with this program is 81.135 (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy). Key dates included a posted date of February 15, 2013, an original closing date of March 21, 2013, and a revised current closing date of June 6, 2013. The archive date is May 3, 2014, reflecting that this is a historical FOA rather than a currently open solicitation.

The FOA materials also reference structured templates for application components, including reply-to-reviewer comments appendices and required forms, provided through ARPA-E's FOA website. For applicants needing assistance accessing the announcement, the listed contracting officer contact was Benjamin Lardizabal (202-287-1014, benjamin.lardizabal@hq.doe.gov). Overall, RANGE is best understood as a program designed to make EV energy storage simultaneously higher-energy, lower-cost, and inherently safer through robust, failure-tolerant designs, with an additional push toward integrating storage into the vehicle in ways that reduce system-level mass and complexity.

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