DTE Energy Joins U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR Research Partnership

DETROIT, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy will add its experience and expertise in electric-car research to the Department of Energy (DOE) FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. The DOE announced today that DTE Energy and Southern California Edison have joined the partnership to represent the electric utility industry.

Established as the FreedomCAR Partnership in 2002 and expanded to include fuel companies in 2003, the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy; five major energy producers, including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell; and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), whose members include Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation. The Partnership examines and advances pre-competitive, high-risk research and development to generate the components and fuel infrastructure necessary to enhance the commercialization of a full range of affordable cars and light trucks including fuel cells, hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).

"The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership will help to advance the goal of providing utility solutions that create a seamless driving experience for PHEV owners," said Knut Simonsen, Senior Vice President, DTE Energy Resources. "We are excited to have this opportunity to work with universities, the auto industry, governmental agencies and other energy companies to develop the vehicles and infrastructure that will give drivers the performance and overall experience that they expect while significantly reducing the vehicle's impact on the environment."

DTE Energy was significantly involved in the electric vehicle programs of the 1980s and 1990s. And the company today continues to support advanced vehicle technologies in its fleet, (e.g., hybrids, biodiesel, compressed natural gas) and is actively involved in several PHEV technology projects including the Electric Drive Transportation Association and a DOE-funded research program titled "Technical Challenges of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Impacts to the U.S. Power System."

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan and other non-utility, energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, coal and gas midstream, unconventional gas production and energy trading. Information about DTE Energy is available at http://www.dteenergy.com/.

CONTACT: Len Singer, +1-313-235-8809, or Lorie Kessler, +1-313-235-8807, both of DTE Energy

Web site: http://www.dteenergy.com/

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