U.S. Senate, House Get Bills To Fund Electric Vehicle Rollout

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While President Obama has been fumbling a legitimate response to the Gulf Oil Spill, a group of U.S. Senators and Representatives have drafted two versions of new bill to accelerate the electric vehicle industry.

The "Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010" is intended to leverage $10 billion in federal grants to make it easier to early electric-vehicle adopters to get their cars and start to wean the country off oil.

The core of both versions of the bill is to create EV "ecosystems" in a handful of selected regions across the country. Cities will compete for federal funds earmarked to create charging infrastructure, help communities update their building codes and zoning to provide for EV needs, and convert government fleets to electric drive vehicles.

The Senate bill would allow up to 15 cities to apply to the Department of Energy for grants of up to $250 million. The House version offers $800 million to five cities.

According to the Electrification Coalition, this type of grant process is intended to stimulate healtArticle ImageEnlarge Photo

While President Obama has been fumbling a legitimate response to the Gulf Oil Spill, a group of U.S. Senators and Representatives have drafted two versions of new bill to accelerate the electric vehicle industry.

The "Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010" is intended to leverage $10 billion in federal grants to make it easier to early electric-vehicle adopters to get their cars and start to wean the country off oil.

The core of both versions of the bill is to create EV "ecosystems" in a handful of selected regions across the country. Cities will compete for federal funds earmarked to create charging infrastructure, help communities update their building codes and zoning to provide for EV needs, and convert government fleets to electric drive vehicles.

The Senate bill would allow up to 15 cities to apply to the Department of Energy for grants of up to $250 million. The House version offers $800 million to five cities.

According to the Electrification Coalition, this type of grant process is intended to stimulate healthy competition among communities who want to accommodate EVs. It will also take into consideration regions with smaller populations and those with less urbanization.

Most importantly for early EV adopters, these bills introduce additional federal grants for the purchase of EVs or for the installation of EV chargers.

The Senate bill gives a point-of-sale rebate of $2,500 (in addition to the existing $7,500 tax credit) for the purchase of an electric vehicle in the chosen communities, bringing the total purchase allowance to $10,000.

The House version instead gives a credit of up to $2,000 for electric vehicle owners to buy and install charging equipment--extending a credit now scheduled to expire on December 31 this year.

“I have always believed in pursuing new and innovative ways to provide for our country’s energy needs, especially as we work to reduce our reliance on imported oil,” said retiring senator Byron Dorgan (D-SD), one of the main sponsors of the Senate version.

“Republicans and Democrats agree that electrifying our cars and trucks is the single best way to reduce our dependence on oil,” said representative Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said. “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 first two mass-produced electric vehicles from major automakers--the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt--will appear in a handful of dealers in selected regions by the end of this year.

Supporters of these bills say that there is only a narrow window of time to pass this new legislation into law. They hope at least to get the main elements of this legislation included within an energy bill in the near future.

While most political responses to the Gulf Oil Spill have not focused on cutting petroleum usage, adoption of electric vehicles is one step that can begin the process of evolving our transportation sector towards a new future.

If you would like to show your support, contact your local Senator or Congressperson and let that person know your city is ready for clean, green vehicles that use no oil.hy competition among communities who want to accommodate EVs. It will also take into consideration regions with smaller populations and those with less urbanization.

Most importantly for early EV adopters, these bills introduce additional federal grants for the purchase of EVs or for the installation of EV chargers.

The Senate bill gives a point-of-sale rebate of $2,500 (in addition to the existing $7,500 tax credit) for the purchase of an electric vehicle in the chosen communities, bringing the total purchase allowance to $10,000.

The House version instead gives a credit of up to $2,000 for electric vehicle owners to buy and install charging equipment--extending a credit now scheduled to expire on December 31 this year.

“I have always believed in pursuing new and innovative ways to provide for our country’s energy needs, especially as we work to reduce our reliance on imported oil,” said retiring senator Byron Dorgan(D-SD), one of the main sponsors of the Senate version.

“Republicans and Democrats agree that electrifying our cars and trucks is the single best way to reduce our dependence on oil,” said representative Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said. “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 first two mass-produced electric vehicles from major automakers--the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevy Volt--will appear in a handful of dealers in selected regions by the end of this year.

Supporters of these bills say that there is only a narrow window of time to pass this new legislation into law. They hope at least to get the main elements of this legislation included within an energy bill in the near future.

While most political responses to the Gulf Oil Spill have not focused on cutting petroleum usage, adoption of electric vehicles is one step that can begin the process of evolving our transportation sector towards a new future.

If you would like to show your support, contact you local Congressman and let that person know your city http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1045908_u-s-senate-house-get-bills-to-fund-electric-vehicle-rolloutis ready for clean, green vehicles that use no oil.

Source: All Cars Electric