The move in the House was made by passing the bill with the legislation on climate-change. The proposal will then go to the Senate before being enacted as a law. A similar bill was rejected by the Senate in 2008.

In the program, car manufactures will be able to get government loans of as much as 80% to cover for the cost of R&D, and production of highly efficient vehicles. The payback is stretched to 25 years with approximately 4% of interest. The company needs to issue security interest for the acquisition of any property using the funds.

Assembling a car using the DOE grant has a requirement of making a car that is 25% more efficient than the current standards. So performance cars, trucks, and SUV is out of the picture.

The bill is also looking into the improvement of the network for EVs and hybrids. Charging stations must be ideally constructed in garages, parking lot, fuel stations, and several stops along the highway.

The first beneficiaries of the loan were Ford, Nissan, and Tesla. Ford received $5.9 billion to develop a compact electric car. Nissan has $1.6 billion which will be used in constructing its Tennessee factory for EV’s. The $465 million received by Tesla is set to be a catalyst for the Tesla Model S in the works right now.

Both technologies will be available in Ford’s 2010 Lincoln MKS (see pic!). The 6F-55 transmission was developed from the successful blueprint of Ford’s 6F-50 transmission. Compared to the 6F-50 transmission, however, the 6F-55 is bulked up and strengthened to work with the EcoBoost V6’s architecture.

All changes were geared towards improved power and fuel efficiency. The modifications included friction material grooves that break up fluid flow and reduce clutch drag losses; nine wave CBLR; improved calibration measures; and a 15-degree-increase of start-to-open temperatures.

The torque of this transmission was also altered to improve the vehicle’s drivability. Together, the EcoBoost V6 and the 6F-55 automatic transmission are pegged to produce 355 horse power and 475 Nm of torque. Ford brags that this translates to higher power and better fuel-economy compared the V8 engine of Lexus GS460 and Infiniti M45.

Ford projects that both technologies will dominate their sustainability strategy for years to come. They’ve targeted that by the end of 2012, nearly all of Ford’s transmissions in North America will be converted to advanced six-speed gearboxes. Ford marks up 2013 as the year when nearly 90% of Ford’s North American vehicles will nestle EcoBoost engines.

The 6F-55 was produced at the Van Dyke Transmission Plant based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. This Ford Plant also produced the 6F-50 and 6F-35 transmissions. The plant is recognized as one of the Ford Centers of Excellence for six-speed transmissions.