-- The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to boost government funding for green vehicle research -- the latest effort by Congress to aid the struggling auto industry.

The bill, which cleared the House on a 312-114 vote, authorizes $2.9 billion over five years, including $550 million in the budget year starting Oct. 1 for the Energy Department to research and develop advanced technology vehicles and components.

That's more than $200 million above the current yearly vehicle research budget.

The authorization bill still has a way to go before it reaches the White House. It must be approved by the Senate; and after that, Congress must act separately to allocate the funds.

Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, the lead sponsor of the bill, said the measure would lead to "faster development" of advanced technologies.

"It is no secret that the global economic crisis has had an absolutely devastating effect on the automobile industry," Peters said.

But he said it is essential for government to give automakers more financial support.

"There is intense global competition right now to determine which countries will produce the cars and trucks of the future," Peters said. "The only question is whether these new technologies will be researched, developed and manufactured here in the United States, creating American jobs."

The vote came a day after the government proposed a new regulation that would boost fuel efficiency standards by an average of 4.3 percent annually on vehicles from the 2012 through the 2016 model year at a cost to the auto industry of $60 billion.

Peters said that with strong bipartisan support, the bill has an excellent chance of being fully funded this year.

Passage would be a feather in the cap of the freshmen Democrat, who will be up for re-election next year in a district that previously had been held by Republicans.

The Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009 authorizes federal research and development projects at the Energy Department. It would call for research into batteries and storage devices, hybridization and electrification, hydrogen fuel cells, engine systems and components, and communications for vehicle and electric grid infrastructure.

It also would provide "support for construction and modification of new vehicle, engine, and component research and testing facilities." And it would create a program for research into medium- to heavy-duty commercial trucks and transit vehicles.