$14 MILION FROM DOE TO PLUG-IN HYBRIDS!

DOE Will Help Fund Hybrid Vehicle Research
April 6, 2007 (UPI)

WHO
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC)

WHAT
DOE & USABC will co-fund a $28 million development program for a low-cost, high energy battery, the so-called “impediment” to bringing Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) to the main street marketplace. The battery, an electrochemical storage technology, will be required to meet performance, weight, lifecycle and cost criteria.

WHEN
According to PHEV advocates such as Sherry Boschert, current battery technology is adequate to bring the innovative technology to market. This development project, though certainly welcome, may be a way for the establishment represented by DOE to postpone coming to terms with the plug-in concept, unlike the Austin Plug-in Partners program.

WHERE
USABC is based in Southfield, Michigan.

WHY
The vast majority of private commuter vehicles drive 40 miles or less daily. Carmakers will, therefore, consider PHEVs commercially viable when a battery capable of providing that distance between charges is available.

QUOTES
"President Bush is committed to developing alternative fuels and energy-saving innovations for an improved and diversified array of vehicle technologies," said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. "By improving batteries for plug-in hybrids, we can help achieve the president's goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent within the decade."