(Source: U.S. Department of Energy; Photo Courtesy: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty via Autoblog)

DOE Support for Advanced Battery Manufacturing and Electric Vehicle Deployment to Create Tens of Thousands of U.S. Jobs

On March 19th, President Barack Obama announced the availability of $2.4 billion in funding to put American ingenuity and America’s manufacturers to work producing next generation Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and the advanced battery components that will make these vehicles run. The initiative will create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs and help us end our addiction to foreign oil. Americans who decide to purchase these Plug-in Hybrid vehicles can claim a tax credit of up to $7,500.

“This investment will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it will put Americans back to work,” President Obama said. “It positions American manufacturers on the cutting edge of innovation and solving our energy challenges.”

While visiting Southern California Edison’s Electric Vehicle Center, the President announced the following:

• The Department of Energy is offering up to $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce these highly efficient batteries and their components.
• The Department of Energy is offering up to $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce other components needed for electric vehicles, such as electric motors and other components.
• The Department of Energy is offering up to $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate Plug-In Hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts — like truck stop charging station, electric rail, and training for technicians to build and repair electric vehicles.

Click here to read the entire DOE press release. Or, Click here to read the President’s remarks.  Shown below is Part I of the video from the event, courstey of  You Tube (Part I & Part II).

 (Source: The Transport Politic)

HUD and DOT will encourage communities to combine federally-mandated metropolitan area housing and transportation plans 

(Source: Brookings Institute)

Brookings Senior Fellow Robert Puentes tells a House Appropriations panel this week that “how and where we build in the future carries far-reaching implications for the health of our environment, our energy security, and our economic recovery and will continue to impact our metropolitan areas’ success and our ability to compete globally.”

Unfortunately, the U.S. track record here is not good.  Puentes’ research shows that between 1980 and 2000, the growth of the largest 99 metro areas in the continental U.S. consumed 16 million acres of rural land, or about one acre for every new household.5Indicative of this outward sprawl is the fact that more than 70 percent of the 100 largest metros’ recent population growth over the same period of time occurred outside of principal cities—the largest and most established cities within each metro in terms of population and employment.

Click here to read or download Mr. Puentes’ testimony to the House Appropriations panel.  Shown below is the read-only version of the PDF document.

(Source: Autobloggreen)

Station design by Richard Barret of EPR Architects

Abandoned gas stations in London may be getting new, greener leases on life later this year. Evoasis has announced plans to begin converting the former fuel depots into Upstart-branded fast charge stations for electric-powered vehicles. This first one will be located onGrosvenor Road and will offer 12 charging points, each equipped with enough electron juice to allow for a 20-minute charge, depending on the size and chemistry of your battery. The stations will having lounge areas to hang out in and enjoy purchased food and coffee. We hope to God imagine they will also supply Wi-Fi as well. 

Click here to read the entire article. 

(Source: Financial Times)

Despite the US government’s determination to increase efficiency standards and become energy independent, hybrid cars sales in the US are falling at a ‘breakneck pace’ – even faster than overall car sales, reports the LA Times:

Last month, only 15,144 hybrids sold nationwide, down almost two-thirds from April, when the segment’s sales peaked and gas averaged $3.57 a gallon. That’s far larger than the drop in industry sales for the period and scarcely a better showing than January, when hybrid sales were at their lowest since early 2005.

In July, U.S. Toyota dealers didn’t have enough Prius models in stock to last two days, and many were charging thousands of dollars above sticker price for the few they had.

Today there are about 80 days’ worth on hand, and dealers are working much harder — even with the help of $500 factory rebates — to move the egg-shaped gas-savers off lots from Santa Monica to Miami.

The gist of the story is even though hybrids are more expensive and therefore less attractive to consumers in these recession-bound times, car makers are compelled by government regulations to continue developing them. Hybrid cars are not particularly profitable for the industry either; Toyota only recently began to turn a profit on its Prius.

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source:  Autobloggreen)

 It’s rare for the Detroit 3 automakers, the UAW and various politicians to agree on anything meaningful, but that’s exactly what appears to be happening after Rep. Betty Sutton of Ohio (D) introduced a bill in Congress called Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save bill (CARS Act) that revives the so-called “Cash for Clunkers” plan. This bill would offer consumers up to $5,000 to trade in a vehicle that’s at least 8 years old in exchange for a new one built in the United States that gets at least 27 mpg if it’s a car or 24 mpg if it’s a truck or SUV. The total payout would be based on the new vehicle’s mileage rating.

The International Energy Agency on Friday lowered its estimate for global oil demand in 2009 as the crisis curbs demand in the United States, Russia and China.

The agency said demand would drop for a second consecutive year for the first time since 1982-1983.

In its closely watched monthly survey, the IEA cut its forecast for demand this year by 270,000 barrels a day to 84.4 million barrels a day — 1.5 percent lower than a year earlier.

The Paris-based agency said demand for oil last year was estimated to have slid 0.4 percent to 85.7 million barrels a day.

To put that into some kind of concrete yet still unimaginably large and therefore abstract terms, the IEA estimates that the world will consume 270,000 fewer barrels of oil every day. On a related not, a professor at Cambridge University is predicting a 40-50% drop in greenhouse gas emissions due to the global economic downturn.” reports GreenDaily.com

Click here to read more.

(Source: Autobloggreen)

Spain’s fourth largest city is getting 75 public electric vehicle recharging stations throughout the city this year. Spain’s ambitious program of introducing EVs, hybrid and plug-in cars (a million units for 2012) is promoting the new network under the Movele program. Seville is getting recharging stations in the most used parking lots in the city, as well as at the airport, city hall offices and other official buildings. The plan includes 500 electric cars, which will be allocated not only to public institutions but for private users as well. It’s expected that each simple recharging post will cost €1,000.  The picture shows a recharging post in Lisbon, Portugal.

Click here to read the entire post. 

(Source: Autobloggreen)

 

Last November, when we talked with SmartUSA boss Dave Schembri at the LA Auto Show, he acknowledged that a number of the people who had placed early orders for the tiny fortwo had canceled before taking delivery. At that time, the cancellation rate was about thirty percent, although most of those cars were being taken up by people who wanted immediate delivery. Apparently, that situation has changed as dealers who last year typically had no more than a meager handful of cars in stock now sometimes have dozens. 

Click here to read the entire article. 

(Source:  Autobloggreen)

This week, Congress and President Obama have approved a bill that includes a June 30th deadline for the EPA to decide whether or not to allow California the right to enact its own greenhouse gas rules. Earlier this year, President Obama directed the EPA to reconsider California’s request for a waiver that would allow it to regulate gases like carbon dioxide, which is widely seen as a way for the state to set its own fuel efficiency requirements

Click here to read the entire article.