Obama Announces New Plug-In Hybrid Development Funds In California Speech
By John O'Dell March 19, 2009
Moving to spur development of plug-in hybrid vehicles, President Obama announced a new $2.4-billion plug-in stimulus package today, one he said will help industry meet his oft-stated goal of getting a million plug-in on U.S. roads by 2015.
A Ford Escape plug-in hybrid test vehicle at Southern California Edison headquarters.
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In a speech at Southern California Edison Co.'s Electric Vehicle Technical Center, where the utility has built a "garage of the future" with a solar charger and maintains a fleet of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids that it is testing, Obama said the plug-in hybrid stimulus investment would create tens of thousands of jobs while helping end the nation's dependence on oil.
"In Michigan and Ohio, and right here in California, we are seeing exciting developments in this field as hard-working men and woman are already laying the groundwork for this new industry," Obama said. "Even as our American automakers are undergoing a painful recalibration, they are retooling and reimagining themselves into an industry that can compete and win, because millions of jobs depend on it."
The $2.4 billion will be used in three grant programs: $1.5 billion for U.S. companies to produce efficient plug-in hybrid batteries; $500 million for production of components such as electric motors and power control systems; and $400 million for projects, such as public recharging stations, to demonstrate and evaluate electric vehicle infrastructure.
In his remarks today, (read them here) Obama singled out California's efforts to promote electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The state, he said, "has already forged ahead with its own plans rather than wait for Washington."
He mentioned a proposed "green" highway being discussed by state government officials that would link California, Oregon and Washington with a series of charging stations and alternative fuels pumps providing everything from biodiesel to hydrogen.
And, to the delight of California entrepreneur Shai Agassi, who has been promoting the technology through his EV infrastructure company, Better Place, the president suggested that highway also could include centers where depleted battery packs for plug-ins or EVs could be exchanged for fully charged packs "in the time it takes to fill a gas tank."
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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