variable,^82 and only in the last five years has there been a concerted attempt by both the auto
industry and government to develop viable commercial vehicles. Thus, although the technologies
are by no means “new,” we still have little experience with how they perform as an integrated
system in on-the-road vehicles, or with rapid, cost-effective manufacturing processes. At this
writing, government finding for advanced vehicle R&D appears once again poised for a
downturn, owing to budget cuts. PNGV has begun to define the R&D priorities for some of these
technologies, particularly for hybrid vehicles; however, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to
address these priorities and solve the many remaining problems without sustained, and even
increased, finding,
82 For example, funding for DOE's Electric and Hybrid Vehicle program rose to a peak of $37.5 million in 1979, but dropped to $8.4 million in- By 1995, it had risen again to about $90 million.