$1.63 Billion in Grants for Electric Car Technology Proposed by US Senators
December 19, 2008 by admin
A gang of 12 US Senators, led by Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, are proposing $1.63 billion in federal grants through the US Department of Energy to increase production and drive down costs of hybrid and electric drive systems.
The package breaks down as follows:
$1.0 billion in competitive grants to expand the US manufacturing base for advanced batteries and other essential components.
$295 million for Research and Development of new battery technology.
$150 million for research and development of smart grid technology that can save consumers money and help integrate plug-in vehicles while improving capacity and reliability of the nation’s aging electric system.
$90 million in grants for state and local business and governments to build the infrastructure and other resources such as rapid recharging stations to support plug-in and other technologies.
$95 million in grants for near-term truck and maritime port electrification.
Bayh discussed his proposal in Indiana at a event gathering many of the state’s top automotive technology manufacturers, including Li-ion battery manufacturer Ener1. Ener1’s Indianapolis subsidiary EnerDel is the first company producing automotive lithium-ion batteries on a commercial scale in the US.
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