United States Council for Automotive Research

What United States Council for Automotive Research does

United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) is a pre-competitive collaborative automotive research consortium founded in 1992 by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler (now Stellantis) and headquartered at 3000 Town Center, Suite 35, Southfield, Michigan. It operates as a non-profit LLC jointly governed by a three-member Council representing each OEM, and it conducts no commercial product sales. Its mission is to strengthen the U.S. domestic auto industry's technology base through cooperative R&D that no single member would efficiently undertake alone, with programs spanning advanced batteries, automotive materials, vehicle electrification, hydrogen and charging infrastructure, electrical wiring standards, smart manufacturing, and AI/ML process guidelines.

USCAR's technical outputs are delivered through several subsidiary and partner programs. The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC) runs electrochemical energy storage R&D with the U.S. Department of Energy, executing a stream of cost-shared technology development and assessment contracts with suppliers and national labs (Microvast, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Nanoramic, EnPower, Farasis, Applied Materials, American Battery Technology Company, Amprius, Zenlabs, 24M Technologies, Ion Storage Systems). The United States Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP), established in 1993, addresses lightweight, affordable, and recyclable automotive materials. EWCAP develops standardized wire harness and connector specifications, and U.S. DRIVE extends the work into a government-industry partnership with DOE, five energy companies (BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Shell), four utilities (AEP, DTE, Duke, SCE), and EPRI. USCAR also publishes standards and guidelines, notably DL-SPICE for AI/ML in ADAS/autonomous systems and the SAE/USCAR-53 industrial data communication standard distributed through SAE International.

USCAR's revenue model is not a commercial one. It is funded by recurring contributions from its three member companies and by government grants, principally through cooperative agreements with the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office, which awarded USABC $60 million in January 2024 for advanced battery R&D. Programs operate on a cost-shared contract basis (typically 50% DOE / 50% recipient), and outputs (technical reports, standards, roadmaps) are distributed through the USCAR Resource Center, SAE International, white papers, news releases, and the consortium's LinkedIn presence. Customer-facing channels are essentially non-existent because there are no external paying customers; instead the organization engages government agencies, national laboratories, universities, and industry stakeholders through cooperative R&D arrangements.

Name

United States Council for Automotive Research

Legal name

United States Council for Automotive Research LLC

Website

https://uscar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

USCAR is a pre-competitive automotive research consortium jointly owned by Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, running subsidiary programs in advanced batteries (USABC), materials (USAMP), vehicle electrification (U.S. DRIVE), and wiring/connector standards (EWCAP), funded by member contributions and U.S. Department of Energy grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Member Company Contributions: Pre-competitive R&D funded through contributions from Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis
2. U.S. Department of Energy Funding: Government grants supporting advanced battery research and vehicle technologies, including $60 million awarded in January 2024 for pre-competitive vehicle-related advanced battery R&D

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

USCAR is a collaborative automotive research consortium jointly funded and governed by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis. It conducts pre-competitive R&D across battery technology, automotive materials, vehicle electrification, hydrogen infrastructure, manufacturing standards, and electrical wiring components through its sub-brands (USABC, USAMP, U.S. DRIVE, EWCAP), and develops technical standards such as DL-SPICE and SAE/USCAR-53.

Product overview

USCAR is a collaborative automotive technology consortium representing Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis, operating as an umbrella organization with four primary sub-brands: USABC (battery technology), USAMP (automotive materials), U.S. DRIVE (vehicle electrification and energy infrastructure), and EWCAP (electrical wiring components). The consortium also develops technical standards and guidelines including DL-SPICE for AI/ML components and SAE/USCAR-53 for industrial data communication. USCAR focuses on pre-competitive research and development to strengthen the domestic auto industry's technology base across vehicle electrification, materials science, hydrogen infrastructure, and smart manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• U.S. DRIVE: United States Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability - a government-industry partnership among the U.S. Department of Energy, USCAR, energy companies, utilities, and EPRI focused on advanced vehicle technologies.
• USABC
• USAMP
• EWCAP

Products and services

• USABC (United States Advanced Battery Consortium) A subsidiary of USCAR focused on developing advanced battery cell and system technologies, electrochemical energy storage R&D, and next-generation electrified vehicle battery applications through collaboration with DOE, national labs, and industry partners.
• USAMP (United States Automotive Materials Partnership) An industry partnership focused on developing automotive materials and processes enabling high-volume vehicle production that is lower mass, more affordable, and with increased recyclable/sustainable materials.
• U.S. DRIVE Partnership A government-industry partnership accelerating development of pre-competitive innovative technologies for affordable, clean, advanced light-duty vehicles including hybrid electric, battery electric, and fuel cell vehicles, along with related energy infrastructure.
• EWCAP (Electrical Wiring Component Applications Partnership) A partnership developing standardized specifications for automotive electrical wiring components including connectors, terminals, and wire harness specifications for sealed and unsealed applications, specialty connectors, and test specifications.
• DL-SPICE (Deep Learning Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination) Guidelines for development, verification and validation of AI/ML components used in perception and planning subsystems for next-generation ADAS and Autonomous Vehicles, inspired by ASPICE.
• SAE/USCAR-53 (Industrial Data Communication for Automotive Manufacturing) Standard establishing common methodology for data communication, machine language, and reporting to and from manufacturing devices in automotive production and Smart Manufacturing environments.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Vehicle Technologies OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOE provides funding through cooperative agreements supporting USABC and U.S. DRIVE programs. In January 2024, DOE awarded USABC $60 million for pre-competitive vehicle-related advanced battery research. DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office works with industry, academia, and national laboratories to develop advanced transportation technologies.
• CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSCAR engaged CESMII to develop the Roadmap for Automotive Smart Manufacturing. CESMII has $140M total investment from DOE funding and public/private partnerships. UCLA is the program and administrative home of CESMII, one of 17 Manufacturing USA institutes.
• Energy Companies (BP America, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Shell Oil Products US)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive energy companies participate in U.S. DRIVE partnership, focusing on vehicle efficiency and energy sustainability including hydrogen infrastructure development.
• Utilities (American Electric Power, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Southern California Edison)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour utilities participate in U.S. DRIVE partnership, supporting development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling solutions.
• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPRI participates in U.S. DRIVE partnership, contributing expertise in electric power research supporting vehicle electrification efforts.
• SAE InternationalmajorTechnology or IntegrationUSCAR-53 standard published through SAE International, establishing a common methodology for industrial data communication in automotive manufacturing environments.
• Argonne National LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Steven Przesmitzki previously served as laboratory program manager for Vehicle Technologies at Argonne, working on future transportation, mobility and power solutions with over 120 researchers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CALSTART: A clean transportation industry consortium that similarly convenes industry, government, and research partners to accelerate low-carbon mobility technologies. Comparable in mission, multi-stakeholder consortium model, and policy-aligned R&D agenda to USCAR.
• European Council for Automotive R&D (EUCAR): European counterpart that represents the major European OEMs in collaborative pre-competitive automotive research. Highly comparable structural peer: similar consortium governance, member-funded R&D model, and policy-shaping role.
• Concawe: A consortium of European oil/automotive companies conducting pre-competitive research on environment, health, and safety. Comparable membership-funded, issue-focused consortium model addressing transportation energy topics.
• Auto/Steel Partnership: Pre-competitive R&D partnership between North American automakers and steel producers to advance automotive steel applications. Closely analogous in the consortium/R&D/governance structure and supply-chain focus to USAMP.

Broad incumbents

• Battelle Memorial Institute: A large non-profit R&D organization managing significant federally funded research across energy, transportation, and defense. Comparable operating model (non-profit R&D, government-funded) though much broader in scope than USCAR.

Emerging players

• Argonne National Laboratory: U.S. DOE national laboratory with deep transportation and battery research programs that collaborates with USCAR via DOE cooperative agreements. Comparable mission in vehicle/battery R&D but operating as a federally funded lab rather than an industry consortium.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. DOE national laboratory focused on renewable energy and sustainable transportation R&D. Comparable federally funded research mission and current/former personnel overlap with USCAR leadership.
• EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute): Consortium-funded, non-profit R&D organization for the electric power sector. A U.S. DRIVE partner alongside USCAR; comparable member-funded, neutral convener model addressing grid/transportation convergence topics.

Others

• SAE International: Standards-setting organization that co-publishes USCAR-developed standards such as SAE/USCAR-53. Comparable in automotive standards development and broad industry convening role; channel/distribution partner rather than competing consortium.
• Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): Non-profit applied R&D institute serving automotive, energy, and government clients. Comparable multi-client, contract R&D operating model though serving a broader and more commercialized portfolio than USCAR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uscar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments4 records

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Frequently asked questions about United States Council for Automotive Research