John McCain Offers $300 Million Prize For Better Battery Tech

by Michael dEstries June 23, 2008
Categories:
Tags: john mccain.

Showing that he’s committed (at least on the campaign trail) to transitioning the U.S. towards carbon-free transportation, John McCain is set to announce a “Clean Car Challenge” that would award the amount of $300 million to the developer of new battery technology. Yowzers. In an excerpt of a speech he is expected to give in Fresno, Calif today, McCain says,

“I further propose we inspire the ingenuity and resolve of the American people by offering a $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars. This is one dollar for every man, woman and child in the U.S. – a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency – and should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs.”

Additionally, McCain is also pushing a $5,000 tax credit for any customer that buys a zero-emissions vehicle. That’s certainly a nice chunk, but with current prices well out of the reach of consumers, it won’t put a dent on a fuel-cell or electric car purchase anytime soon. I’m thinking that type of tax-credit will float better after 2012.

Let’s not forget as well that the Republican nominee earned a 0% current rating and 24% lifetime rating from the Sierra Club on environmental issues. Campaign-trail talk? Probably — but intriguing nonetheless to see these issues being brought front and center.

via The NY Times

Categories:
Tags: john mccain.

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

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http://www.lumag.com Remy Chevalier

Yep, so he can charge electric cars from his 300 new nuclear power plants! No thanks… The better battery chemistries are already here on the bench, in labs all over the country. If the energy companies and the Republicans really want state-of-the-art high density solid-state li-ion batteries, they’d be paying for them already. Instead, ExxonMobil, Chevron and GE have invested millions this year in a123 which was a good liquid chemistry… ten years ago, to perpetuate the status quo.
Tom C Gray

Funny how the environmentalists who blocked nuclear power and thereby caused global warming, are desperate to find someone else to blame. Just look in the mirror, Sieera Club members, just look in the mirror. And oh, by the way, protecting those old growth forests was the worst possible idea – old growth trees don’t absorb any carbon. I nominate the Sierra Club as prime contributor to global warming. Thanks a lot, “Earth Saviors.”
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http://www.lumag.com Remy Chevalier

Hey Tom! The oil, coal and NUCLEAR industry caused global warming by pulling absolutely every single dirty trick in the book these last 30 years, to slow down the growth of clean “independent” alternative energy sources. We could have been well on our way to Ecotopia by now, had it not been for your kind.