Southwest Research Institute NEXTCAR Program aims to reduce vehicular energy consumption by more than 30% using next generation connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded SwRI a three-year, $5.25 million contract through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) NEXTCAR (NEXT-Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Automated On-Road Vehicles) program for the second phase of the project. SwRI’s NEXTCAR project is an iterative program that builds upon each successive phase. The technology developed during Phase I received an R&D 100 Award in 2021.