Feds Give Billions for Electric Cars

[ScionDriver]

The Feds have given away billions in loans to Nissan, Ford and mainly Tesla for development of electric cars and batteries.
Article here

The Obama Administration will lend Tesla Motors $465 million to build an electric sedan and the battery packs needed to propel it. It's one of three loans totaling almost $8 billion that the Department of Energy awarded Tuesday to spur the development of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is also lending $5.9 billion to Ford to retool factories in five states. Nissan will receive $1.6 billion to refurbish a factory in Tennessee to produce electric cars.

The loans are the first awarded under the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program to help automakers offset the cost of retooling to build eco-friendlier cars that are at least 25 percent more fuel-efficient than 2005 models.

[digitalcraft]

well it's not a stealth-capable fighter jet or a space shuttle, but it will probably have better long-term economic and foreign relations impact.

[LTSmash]

This is interesting news. I'm however split on my opinion of the massive subsidization. I still think the "green" movement is somewhat of a con.

[Matra et Alpine]

Put the "green" aside .... less reliance on oil will give the US more independance from outside influence and factors. Less need to go to wars

Also, it's inevitable that electric will happen and it's better for the US if American makers are at the forefront and able to export vehicles and technology. The US auto industry never had the strength to fund it "on a hope" and this at least will help .... but it's only a fraction of the total investment they'll need

[RacingManiac]

trying to prop-up existing workbase from collapsing is one thing, developing new technology company by giving massive handout I think is discouraging competition to better the breed....who is deciding that Tesla's model is better or more feasible....

[digitalcraft]

Well tesla's getting a relatively small amount compared to Ford and Nissan. I'm guessing they went with a few viable companies to see what develops.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

It's about offering an alternative energy source and being seen to be green as much as it is about the product.

Mistakes are going to be made by these companies but a viable alternative to fossil fuel energy sources can only be made possible by large investment in the R&D and future of these companies.

but yeah, Tesla is an interesting one.....

[Matra et Alpine]

^^ what about the Ford or the Nissan loan then ?
They don't really have a history of electric support !!
Matra did, but Renault didn't want to keep the relationship

I think Tesla have done well with finding their own funding to get the first vehicle out.
Nobdoy else has managed it !

[IBrake4Rainbows]

As do I, but the government being seen to support a $100,000 sports roadster? and furthermore, what with all the suing that's been going on in this company recently, why wouldn't they use some of this money as a settlement?

Ford refused bailout money way back when so this might be an opportunity for them to receive some cash to beef up their range of alternative fuels, because as you've pointed out, they don't have a huge lot of electric vehicles. I think they own the TH!NK brand though....

as for Nissan, they're on the cusp of releasing an electric vehicle into the US and other markets, so it makes sense.

[wwgkd]

Put the "green" aside .... less reliance on oil will give the US more independance from outside influence and factors. Less need to go to wars

Also, it's inevitable that electric will happen and it's better for the US if American makers are at the forefront and able to export vehicles and technology. The US auto industry never had the strength to fund it "on a hope" and this at least will help .... but it's only a fraction of the total investment they'll need

But switching to electric power isn't decreasing the use of oil since the vast majority of our electrical power comes from oil burning power plants. Plus the added pollution from the batteries, and the fact that we have to get them from canada means that there is not in fact a decrease in pollution or in relliance on foreign sources. Electric cars (similar to prius') are about being seen to be green, not actually being green.

If we really wanted to decrease dependance on oil, given that the majority of our oil in usage does not come from civilian driven cars but power generation and industrial uses the new administration would have helped the nuclear power industry instead of killing it, since it is vastly more cost effective than the popular green choices that everyone likes to be seen supporting such as wind/solar power. This isn't about doing what's best, it's about perception, or we'd be investing more into small diesel cars and trying to reduce the idustrial usage of oil.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

This sort of tech will bump up the chain though - Green energy sources aren't entirely out of the realms of possibility for America.

Solar Power, even Nuclear power, reduce reliance.

[wwgkd]

This sort of tech will bump up the chain though - Green energy sources aren't entirely out of the realms of possibility for America.

Solar Power, even Nuclear power, reduce reliance.

True, but nuclear power was killed while they promote this kind of thing, so I don't think they're really trying to do good so much as be seen doing good. And solar power has it's place, but it's not as green as so many people think, neither is wind for that matter.

Sorry, I just got ticked at our neighbors who got all snooty over me driving a jeep when they have two prius's out front, which they seem to think makes them better than every one else. I pointed out that they also have an H2, but they just blinked and ignored it. I guess this rubbed me the wrong way because I was on a rant about people who like to think they're green and therefore better than everyone else without actually learning anything about what is and is not good for the environment.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Don't believe the hype - Prii aren't the best solution either.

I believe in efficiency over alternative energy - conserving what you have in a conventional sense. this also gives the alternative more time to become viable and get the infrastructure in place.

I fail to see how Wind power is not as green as people make out, but thats just me. It's been used forever and a day

[wwgkd]

Don't believe the hype - Prii aren't the best solution either.

I believe in efficiency over alternative energy - conserving what you have in a conventional sense. this also gives the alternative more time to become viable and get the infrastructure in place.

I fail to see how Wind power is not as green as people make out, but thats just me. It's been used forever and a day

There's a bunch of people here complaining about the birds being killed by the towers, but I figure a bird has an entire sky to fly in, if it manages to kill itself on one of the blades that's probably just evolution in action. However, for the majority of the country if you look at the energy in making and transporting them versus the energy return, it's fairly dismal. There's a fairly big wind power effort in the tricities washington not far from where I'm going to school (also where the SSC cars are made, incidentally) and I was less than impressed by them. That is one of the windiest places I've ever been and they still struggle to generate significant power.

[digitalcraft]

I agree with the evolution in action. Lots of animals have converted well to having people around, including lots of bird species.

Also, one of the main points of going to electric vehicles isn't necessarily that they themselves are more fuel efficient or ecological, but that they're fuel independent so when we do find issues with a fuel, we can convert the energy source without having to completely obsolute our entire auto industry and every car on the road. That's the monumental task we're dealing with right now, and it'd be nice to not have to do it again.