US VP Biden outlines 3-part plan to have 1M advanced technology vehicles on US roads by 2015
26 January 2011
In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama highlighted his goal of making the United States the first country in the world to put one million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015. Following a tour of the Ener1, Inc. factory today, Vice President Biden outlined the Administration’s new plan for reaching that goal.
The Administration’s new three-part advanced technology vehicle plan—to be proposed in the new Budget—will include supporting electric vehicle manufacturing and adoption in the US through generous new consumer rebates; investments in R&D; and a new competitive program to encourage communities to invest in electric vehicle infrastructure.
Rebates. The President is proposing to transform the existing $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles into a rebate that will be available to all consumers immediately at the point of sale, similar to “Cash for Clunkers”. The current individual credit will be reformed into a tax credit claimable by dealers or financers with clear transparency requirements to ensure the benefit of the credit is passed on to consumers.
R&D. Building on Recovery Act investments, the President’s Budget proposes enhanced R&D investments in electric drive, batteries, and energy storage technologies. This year’s Budget will significantly broaden R&D investments in technologies like batteries and electric drives—including a more than 30% increase in support for vehicle technology R&D and a new Energy Innovation Hub devoted to improving batteries and energy storage for vehicles and beyond.
Infrastructure. The President is proposing a new initiative that will provide grants of up to $10 million each to up to 30 communities that are prioritizing advanced technology vehicle deployment.
The President’s Budget proposes expanding funding for vehicle technologies by almost 90% to nearly $590 million and enhancing existing tax incentives. The Recovery Act already included $2.4 billion in spending for battery and electric drive component manufacturing, and for electric drive demonstration and infrastructure.
Supported by Recovery Act investments, battery costs are projected to drop by 50% by 2013 or 2015. US-based manufacturers will be able to produce enough batteries and components to support 500,000 plug-in and hybrid vehicles by 2015, according to the Administration. The Recovery Act is also supporting the deployment of infrastructure for advanced technology vehicles.
Also, the US GSA is preparing an initial purchase of 100 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that are anticipated to be delivered in 2011 together with more than 40,000 alternative-fueled and fuel-efficient vehicles that will replace aging and less-efficient sedans, trucks, tankers, and wreckers for Federal agencies across the country.
What part of $14 trillion debt and 10% unemployment do these fools not understand? A two year spending spree and nothing to show for it except 10% unemployment and trillions of dollars more added to the national debt. And their answer is...MORE SPENDING !? This madness has got to stop.
Posted by: ejj | 26 January 2011 at 05:27 PM
Had enough? Vote Republican
They'll give the money to their fat cat friends in the oil lobby.
Posted by: Mannstein | 26 January 2011 at 06:02 PM
How much subsidies were given directly and indirectly to various lobbies such as oil, coal, NG, ethanol, farming, industries, and many others in the last 100 years or so. Could it be close to the $14T debt?
Posted by: HarveyD | 26 January 2011 at 06:17 PM
Veep outlines an excellent plan. The transfer of year end tax credit to "point of purchase rebate" further incentivises the purchase of EVs.
Now kids, if you want to see the world go greener and become more sustainable - you have got to stay focused on THAT. If you want to balance the budget (play money) you focus on THAT. What happens with the growth and eventual exponential growth in EVs and alt energy is you both lower the unemployment number by creating JOBS and you lower the deficit by growing the tax base.
It all has to start with putting the nation back to work - not in old dead end service jobs, but new, moderate income technology, manufacturing and peripheral JOBS.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 26 January 2011 at 07:38 PM
China may be in the driver's seat today regarding cheap labor, but I believe automation will have a more negative effect upon China than the US. We have the "privilege" of dealing with fewer manufacturing jobs today. It will be China's turn later.
Posted by: TM | 26 January 2011 at 07:58 PM
China's labor costs are already increasing.
Shipping costs will rise with increased oil prices.
We can build EVs in the US with US labor and be competitive due to automation and lower shipping costs. We can install wind turbines and solar arrays to power those EVs.
More American jobs. Lower deficits. Less money sent to oil-producing countries. Much lower vehicle operating costs for all Americans.
The last thing one would want to do is to vote for people who want to block this route to getting our country's economy healthy once more.
Thant would be as stupid as voting for people who want to return to the days when insurance companies could kick us off our policies if we got sick or deny us a policy if we had a pre-existing condition.
That would be as stupid as voting for people who want to remove the regulations which give us safe food and pharmaceuticals.
Posted by: Bob Wallace | 27 January 2011 at 12:28 AM
Old business axiom: You have to spend money to make money.
The trick is in knowing where to spend it to get the greatest return.
Posted by: ai_vin | 27 January 2011 at 03:29 AM
ejj, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms
Debt is 60-80% Republican.
A hundred years ago, the question was, "Do we invest in horses or engines?"
Posted by: kelly | 27 January 2011 at 08:20 AM
TM,
China already has reduced the number of manufacturing jobs. But the people that are working are building MAGLEV railroads, Wind Farms, and Solar Panels. They are not planning to ship all their money to the Middle East forever, like we do.
Posted by: JMartin | 27 January 2011 at 08:36 AM
This spending is a pitance. We should be spending many times more. There's no other way out of the stranglehold of OPEC oil, and all the problems that involves.
Posted by: danm | 27 January 2011 at 09:51 AM
There are a few guiding principles that USA will have to follow to stop its current relative decline:
1) accelerate innovations or continue declining.
2) better control speculation, banks, insurance and Wall Street or decline faster.
3) reduce lobbies influence or decline much faster.
4) break ties between $$$ and election candidates or fall to pre-independence position.
Posted by: HarveyD | 27 January 2011 at 10:40 AM
Seems like raising the gas tax would be a lot simpler way of doing things
Posted by: vrd863 | 27 January 2011 at 12:41 PM
TM has a point. Automation will put hundreds of thousands of Chinese out of work simply because hand built labor yields poor quality. We see that now in the oceans of low quality, short-lived products pouring out of China and filling our landfills.
When jobs disappear, unrest begins.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 27 January 2011 at 06:18 PM
Since financial analysts believe Chinese currency manipulation is resulting in the Yuan being 25 percent undervalued, I support Donald Trump's idea of a 25 percent tariff on all Chinese made goods imported into the U.S. They are at a point where they need to decide if they want to play fair or not...unfair isn't going to cut it anymore.
Posted by: ejj | 27 January 2011 at 08:28 PM
You can't go against China like that while they own so much of your debt; http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/18/us-federal-deficit-china-america-debt
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/02/chinas-debt-to-us-treasury-more-than-indicated/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803558.html
Posted by: ai_vin | 28 January 2011 at 08:16 AM
Yes we can!!!
Analysis: What is Plan B if China dumps its U.S. debt?
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70H5NX20110118
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41270650
Posted by: ejj | 28 January 2011 at 10:29 AM
More bovine pasture patties from the Administration.
First, these incompetent "gentlemen", have over $20 billion of the first $25 billion dollars unused, and unallocated.
Chrysler an American company, who actually makes cars and trucks, has applied for a $3 billion allocation. In five years the hard-(or never) working bureaucrats have never been able to get off their duffs to allocate the voted money to them.
It was augmented by $20 billion two years ago, when Obama took over, above and beyond the original stupidity voted by the DEMO-cruds when they took over the Congress in 2006, five years ago.
Only Ford, Nissan and of course, politically connected boodlers, like Hendrik Fisker/Al Gore, and Elon Musk and his DEMO-gogic Speaker-friends, to tap this political slush fund/piggy bank for $640 and $460 million each.
In five years they can't spend any money except to boodlers who never built a car like Demo-gogue Gore, and have a definite probability of never doing so. What makes you think this will help, to add even more unspent funds that are just a piggy bank for well-connected boodlers?
Posted by: ExDemo | 01 February 2011 at 12:58 PM
The same rebates should apply to hybrid plug-in conversion as well. We have over 1 million hybrids on the road today and could increase to 3 millions by 2015. It could make up major portion of the 1 million "advanced technology vehicles". Some startup companies have very affordable solutions for conversion, such as Enginer, Inc's (wwww.enginer.us). The kits range from 2KWH ($1995) to 8KWH ($5495) models. It is much cheaper alternative to GM Volt and Nissan Leaf.
Posted by: J Chen | 04 February 2011 at 09:26 PM
I find it interesting that the wrecker industry was named in the report. I am not aware of any hybrid plug-in wreckers. The vehicle emissions haven't helped the air but the lithium ion batteries don't benefit the water tables either. The recycling center industry will have to be affordable. Reel$$ is correct those products/batteries will be our landfills.
Chad
www.FirstWatchTech.com
Posted by: Towing Software | 10 March 2011 at 05:35 PM