In the wake of new fuel efficiency standards, the Energy Department this week spotted 40 new research projects $175 million to develop everything from light-weight building materials to electronics and advanced fuel.

Last month, the US said set new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks saying they must hit 54.5 miles per gallon by Model Year 2025. The projects awarded contracts should address some of the issues involved in making cars and trucks more fuel efficient. At least that's the idea.

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Here a few of the projects awarded the most money. (For a complete list go here.)

Electric Transportation Engineering: This project will test and evaluate early production, and pre-production light-, medium-, and heavy-duty advanced technology vehicles using a variety of fuels, energy storage systems, and propulsion systems. $26,420,018

Chrysler Group: This project will develop and demonstrate a cost effective, light-weight, multimaterial vehicle incorporating technologies targeting 50% weight reduction. Advanced cells and design technology for electric drive batteries. $10,000,000

Amerigon: This project will improve passenger car fuel efficiency by 5% through the conversion of exhaust gas waste heat to electric power using a thermoelectric generator. $8,000,000

General Motors: This project will develop a thermoelectric generator (TEG) system to convert waste heat to electric power, with the control systems necessary to utilize that power in a vehicle. $8,000,000

GMZ Energy: This project will demonstrate a robust thermoelectric exhaust waste heat recovery system that provides greater than 5% fuel efficiency improvement for a light-duty vehicle. $8,000,000

Metal Oxygen Separation Technologies: This project will develop a new process that enables low-cost, domestic manufacturing of magnesium. Increased availability of magnesium can enable vehicle weight reduction and improvement in fuel efficiency. $6,000,000

The Pennsylvania State University: This project will develop a high energy density lithium-sulfur cell technology that significantly reduces battery size, and improves performance and life. $5,000,000

Zoltek Companies: This project will develop a novel low cost route to carbon fiber using a lignin/PAN hybrid precursor and carbon fiber conversion technologies leading to high performance, low-cost carbon fiber. Increased availability of low cost carbon fiber can enable vehicle weight reduction and improvement in fuel economy. $3,748,865

United States Automotive Materials Partnership: This project will validate crash models for carbon-fiber composites that would enable the use of lightweight composites in primary-structural automotive crash and energy management applications. $3,500,000

Alliance for Sustainable Energy: This project will determine levels at which higher alcohols and other advanced oxygenated fuel components can be readily integrated into the existing fuel supply (drop-in replacement fuels). $1,506,164

Ford Motor Company: This project will identify fuel properties that can be used to enable novel combustion strategies with low emissions of nitrogen oxides in an engine, and enhance existing models to capture the effect of additional key fuel properties on combustion. $1,500,000

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: This project will investigate the use of novel lubricant formulations that target differing lubrication requirements of the major engine subsystems (valve train vs. bearings). $1,497,531

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: This project will investigate the use of ionic liquids as a new class of multi-functional (anti-wear and friction modifier) lubricant additives to allow the use of lower viscosity engine oils, to improve engine efficiency. $1,200,000

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