News Article

Obama announces $2.4B to boost production of electric cars


(8/5/2009) The General Motors transmission plant in White Marsh is one of several plants that will get part of a $2.4 billion pool of money from the federal government to go towards building batteries and electric drive projects for electric cars, the White House said Wednesday.

The plant, along with a GM plant in Wixom, Mich., will get $105 million to develop a global rear-wheel drive electric system, according to a news release put out by the White House.

The money, which will fund 48 projects, is part of the government's economic stimulus plan and furthers the Obama administration's goal to put more fuel efficient cars on the road and make the country less dependent on oil.

It was unclear this afternoon if the money would create more jobs at the White Marsh plant. But as GM has been closing plants across the country, it could give the plant more stability.

"If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future," Obama said in the statement.

The money comes from the nearly $800 billion economic stimulus bill Congress passed earlier this year.

The stimulus bill included tens of billions of dollars aimed at so-called "clean energy" projects. In May, Obama proposed strict new federal standards for greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks that he said would spur U.S. automakers to create a new generation of high-efficiency vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids.

Most of the money, $1.5 billion, will go toward the production of advanced batteries that could allow electric cars to drive long distances on a single charge. An additional $500 million would fund drive trains for electric cars, and $400 million would purchase and support thousands of electric vehicles to serve as demonstration models.

Recipient companies would be required to match the grants with their own spending.


Tribune Washington Bureau contributed to this report.

By Andrea K. Walker

Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun

Link to the article: Obama announces $2.4B to boost production of electric cars

Source: The Baltimore Sun