Senator Evan Bayh proposes $1.6B investment in battery manufacturing, smart grid and EVs
In the wake of the bridge loan to the General Motors and Chrysler last Friday from the TARP fund, US Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) made a federal aid proposal of his own. Bayh is proposing that as part of a stimulus package early in 2009, Congress should include $1.63 billion in grants to help fund the build-out of US manufacturing capacity for advanced batteries, development of the batteries and intelligent grid technology to help support widespread use of electric vehicles. Not surprisingly, some of the chief beneficiaries of this aid would be EnerDel, Indy Power Systems, Altairnano, Remy International, and Bright Automotive, all Indiana-based companies. Bayh and a dozen other Senators sent a letter to Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) making the proposal. Investments in battery and grid technology and manufacturing are critical to ensure that plug-in vehicles are economically viable as well as making sure that America doesn't trade foreign oil dependency for foreign battery dependency. Currently, the majority of batteries for electric and plug-in vehicles are being sourced from overseas, mainly Japan. Smart-grid technology with bi-directional communication and power flow is also critical to allow for public charging and vehicle to grid energy flow.
[Source: Senator Evan Bayh]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
clare 12:31PM (12/24/2008)
I am going to ask my senators and congressional reps to get behind this bill. Would you do the same please?
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jharlan 7:07PM (12/24/2008)
Although I would not necessarily be opposed to incentives to modernize technology, in this case it just screams PORK!!!
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hans 8:47PM (12/25/2008)
why not hydrogen fuel cells? Why batteries? seems hydrogen fuel cells on honda fcx have more promise than batteries.
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Speculawyer 6:15PM (3/22/2009)
Let's see . . . Elkhart, Indiana has massive unemployment due to a dying EV industry, Evan Bayh is a backer of the EV & battery stimulus, Enerdel is based in Indiana, Th!nk wants to open a USA factory, Th!nk uses Enerdel batteries, Evan Bayh has close ties to the Obama administration, Enerdel is currently the company keeping Th!nk alive with funding . . . hmmm.
Connect the dots . . . I predict Th!nk will get stimulus package money to open a factory in Indiana which will use Enerdel batteries. Obama will be happy, Evan Bayh will be happy, Th!nk will be happy, Enerdel will be happy, and newly employed Hoosiers will be happy.
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Speculawyer 6:15PM (3/22/2009)
Hans . . . Hydrogen fuel cells? Please. Go read Dan Neil's article on the Honda FCX in the LA Times.
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