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Congress bills push electric vehicles to cut US oil dependence

The bills would seek to support the wider deployment and production of electrified vehicles like the Ford Focus Electric

Yesterday saw bills introduced in both halves of Congress seeking to cut America’s “dangerous” dependence on oil through the widespread deployment of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Proposing an Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010, the bipartisan bills aim to provide $800 million in federal funding for five areas of the US to establish major new electric transportation infrastructure.

The five successful bidders would become “Deployment Communities”, with funding for recharging stations to help kickstart a nationwide boom in electric vehicle use.

The ultimate aim of the Act would be to foster the deployment of 700,000 electric vehicles over six years.

Along with the infrastructure funding, the bills would seek $2,000 incentives for the first 100,000 consumers purchasing electric vehicles in the Deployment Communities.

The bills also propose an extension of the existing federal tax credits scheme to support electric vehicle charging equipment, which offers $2,000 for individuals and up to $50,000 for businesses purchasing multiple charging stations.

And, further research, development, deployment and manufacturing incentives were proposed for technologies that would help deploy electric vehicles in the US.

Senate

The Senate Bill was put forward by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who said it would demonstrate electric vehicle technology and help devise “best practices” for the national roll-out of electric vehicles.

“Republicans and Democrats agree that electrifying our cars and trucks is the single best way to reduce our dependence on oil,” said Senator Alexander.

“Our goal should be to electrify half our cars and trucks within 20 years, which would reduce our dependence on petroleum products by about a third, from about 20 million to about 13 million barrels a day.”

The Senators said two-thirds of America’s petroleum demand comes from transport, which was 95% reliant on petroleum.

They added that with 57% of oil supplies coming from abroad, the $380 billion cost represents nearly 60% of the US trade deficit.

The proposed legislation aims to encourage US production and adoption of electric vehicles, as the technology picks up speed with the likes of the Nissan LEAF, GM Volt and Ford Focus Electric due out in the next 12 months or so.

House

Meanwhile, the House version of the Act was proposed by Representative Edward J Markey (D-Mass.) along with Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.).

The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico is yet another reminder that it’s time for America to start driving toward a clean energy future” - Congressman Ed Markey

The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman, Rep. Markey, said: “The Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Act will lead to a surge in job creation, help consumers, recharge our economy and greatly enhance our national and environmental security.”

He added: “We import most of the oil we use, much of it from countries that seek to do us harm.  The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico is yet another reminder that it’s time for America to start driving toward a clean energy future, and electric vehicles can help power the way.”

Support

Electric vehicle technology companies naturally expressed their support for the bills yesterday.

The Electrification Coalition, a group of businesses drawn from across the electrified transportation sector, said it was “tremendously excited” that both Democrats and Republicans recognized the dangers of a dependence on foreign oil.

Robbie Diamond, President and CEO of the Coalition, said: “The framework put forward today—targeted investment designed to drive electric vehicles and infrastructure in select communities—represents a major change of course to a safer, stronger nation.”