Japanese gov't to kick $1.7B toward developing cleaner cars
The Japanese Trade Ministry is going to provide $1.7 billion in assistance to local carmakers over the next five years to help them develop cleaner cars. They will kick in about $42 million a year toward developing better cheaper batteries for electric cars. The target is to get the retail price of electric cars down under $25,000 by 2010 and under $16,500 by 2020. Additional funds will go toward reducing the cost of hybrid systems and hydrogen powertrains in order to make them mainstream. Currently fossil fuels account for nearly one hundred percent of transportation fuels but the government has set a target of reducing that to eighty percent by 2030.
[Source: The Auto Channel]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
A.Brien 2:52PM (5/29/2007)
The situation is in reverse... It's not the 'goverment' that should say what kind of fuel
to use but the manufacturers of cars. Then the consumer buy the most effective car. It's the driver and owner of the car that should have the last word. Im on the market for a water car, the
best fuel i know.
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Xoham 4:42PM (5/29/2007)
If they make a better battery that increases range, and improves charge time, they will squash all competitors.
Here's an analysis by a Fuel Cell scientist showing that electric cars are best.
http://www.efcf.com/e/reports/E17.pdf
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Tim 5:40PM (5/29/2007)
Yes, and the American gov't has been investing $Trillions into bombing other countries into adopting democracy for over 40 years. Gee, I wonder why they are mad at us???
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susan.kraemer 5:23PM (5/29/2007)
Thank you Japanese government!
GO for it!
The Japanese govt got us the Prius, by subsidising 50% of the early adopters costs.
Thank God some countries have Democracy!
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BGJ 11:18AM (5/30/2007)
Strike One: Japanese currency manipulation gives cost advantage of $2000 per car
Strike Two: US healthcare system imposes cost disadvantage of $1000 per car.
Strike Three: Japanese Gov't gives 1.7B in aid for hybrid/fuel cell/battery research, compared to only a few hundred million by the US Gov't.
And of course the media will only report that the Big 3 just don't get it and it's all their own fault. The looming failure of the US auto industry will be the beginning of the end of the US economy as we know it. The continued outsourcing of the manufacturing & technology sectors will transform the US into a third world country with a very rich minority ruling over a very poor majority.
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