Obama administration wants 1 million plug-in hybrids on the roads by 2015

VEEP Joe Biden began to roll out the administration’s efforts to have 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015 today. The administration is looking to convert the $7,500 tax deduction for EVs to a rebate immediately available to consumers. The president also wants to boost government subsidies for vehicle technologies by almost 90%, bringing the total to almost $590 million.

Up to $200 million of the new package would be used to help as many as 30 cities develop the infrastructure needed to implement widespread EV use.

“We’re not just creating new jobs, but sparking whole new industries that will ensure our competitiveness for decades to come — industries like electric vehicle manufacturing,” Biden said in a statement as he is visiting Ener1 Inc., a New York-based lithium ion battery producer.

Dealers and manufacturers have been pushing for the rebate to be made into a credit made available at the time of sale, and Obama says that the program to do so would be similar to the wildly successful ‘cash-for-clunkers’ program.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News
Images Source: White House Flickr