Research Centers

Sustainable Transportation R&D takes place in a number of highly sophisticated experimental research facilities. These research laboratories are designed to serve staff scientists and engineers, as well as researchers from universities, industry, foreign institutions, and other government laboratories.

Advanced Communications Laboratory
The Advanced Wireless Communications Laboratory’s cross-cutting R&D complements related ORNL technologies including sensors, electronics, controls and systems engineering.  Working with software-defined radio and cognitive radio platforms, the lab’s researchers are helping improve the transportation sector by integrating multiple communications devices in a single platform.

Battery Manufacturing Facility
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is giving US manufacturers
a boost by operating the country’s largest open-access battery manufacturing research and development center. The Battery Manufacturing Facility complements the capabilities of the laboratory’s existing energy storage material processing facility, providing scientists the ability to analyze every aspect of battery production, from raw materials to finished product.

BioEnergy Science Center (BESC)
The mission of BESC is to revolutionize how biomass is processed within five years. Leading experts at ORNL are working with others to develop biomass-based fuel solutions that are clean, viable, and affordable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.

Center for Bioenergy Sustainability (CBES)
CBES is a leading resource for dealing with the environmental impacts and ultimate sustainability of biomass production for conversion to biofuels and bio-based products. Its purpose is to use science and analysis to understand the sustainability of current and potential future bioenergy production and distribution, to identify approaches to enhance bioenergy sustainability, and to serve as an independent source for the highest quality data and analysis.

Center for Transportation Analysis (CTA)
CTA develops integrated multi-modal transportation solutions related to planning, policy, decision analysis, and technology deployment for freight and passenger transportation.  The diverse CTA research portfolio encompasses transportation energy, economic and environmental concerns; safety and security challenges; and mobility issues.

Electronics Research Lab Clusters
Housed within the Measurement Science & Systems Engineering Division, these lab clusters provide a wide variety of electronic measurement, characterization, and development resources.  A broad array of research activities are conducted in these facilities including the development of custom integrated circuits, systems with embedded controllers and communication systems. An extensive set of analytical equipment enables the characterization of complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices as well as power electronics devices based on a number of technologies such as silicon, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride.

Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center (FEERC)
FEERC researchers help identify pathways to higher efficiency and emissions reduction by performing research at all levels including engine system, components, basic chemistry, materials and fuel effects. Fuels studied include natural gas and liquid fuels from conventional and unconventional fossil-based sources, as well as non-petroleum fuels from synthetic and renewable sources.

Power Electronics and Electrical Power Systems Research Center (PEPSRC)
PEEPSRC develops and prototypes the next generation of power electronics and electric machines that will increase vehicle efficiency, reliability and durability while reducing component cost, weight and volume. Major areas of research include ongoing evaluations of hybrid vehicles and development of new power technologies that can operate without an internal permanent magnet.

Manufacturing Demonstration Facility
ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility provides industry access to unique research facilities that reduce the risk and enable pathways for revolutionary manufacturing processes and materials technologies. From concept to commercialization, ORNL's world-leading facilities and expertise enable research focused on reducing the energy intensity of US industry, supporting development of new products, and strengthening our nation's clean-energy economy to meet the commercial and defense needs of tomorrow.