Rep. Eshoo Introduces Bill to Promote Use of Electric Vehicles
"The U.S. can address its dependence on oil and become a global leader of technology to electrify the transportation sector if we enact policies that encourage collaboration and development of innovative technologies," said Rep. Eshoo. "My bill will encourage the use of electric vehicles across the nation and decrease our reliance on foreign oil."
The bill authorizes the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to integrate plug-in electric drive vehicles into regions across the country. It allows individuals or groups of state and local governments to apply to the Secretary for financial assistance in furthering the regional deployment of plug-in electric vehicles. The applications can be jointly sponsored by a wide range of groups including electric utilities, automobile manufacturers, technology providers, or car sharing companies or organizations. The money awarded by the Secretary will go toward offsetting in whole or in part the cost of electric vehicles above the cost of comparable conventionally fueled cars.
Funds can also be used for deployment of activities that will help build the necessary infrastructure for large scale use of plug-in electric drive vehicles. Examples of eligible projects include electrical charging stations, battery exchanges, smart grid equipment and infrastructure to facilitate the integration of plug-in electric drive vehicles.
"The President has spoken at length about using private-public partnerships to overcome the obstacles we face. My legislation will encourage the government to work with private entities to facilitate the integration of electric cars in our country," said Rep. Eshoo.
H.R. 1742 is supported by the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) which represents manufacturers, energy companies, battery manufacturers, universities, and cross-sector organizations. Its members include companies such as Google, Tesla Motors, Better Place, and Coulomb Technologies.
"EDTA supports Rep. Eshoo's effort to establish large scale grid-connected transportation demonstrations across the country; it's a critical next step for grid-connected transportation," said Brian P. Wynne, President of the Electric Drive Transportation Association.
"Google is pleased to support Congresswoman Eshoo's bill, which will promote public and private infrastructure for charging plug-in electric vehicles. Smart charging of plug-in electric vehicles will help to accommodate intermittent renewable generation sources like wind and solar and will help to accelerate the widespread adoption of these vehicles," said Alec Brooks, a Renewable Energy Engineer at Google.
"Better Place congratulates Congresswoman Anna Eshoo on the introduction of this legislation today. Better Place is working toward a global mission of eliminating the stranglehold of oil on our transportation and economy, and has concluded that electrification of transportation is not only the most effective way to achieve that goal, but that it is a transition that can be accomplished relatively rapidly. Congresswoman Eshoo's bill, should it become law, would enable Better Place and other companies to create the infrastructure necessary to make electric cars more affordable and more convenient to consumers than gas cars are today. Better Place is grateful for Congresswoman Eshoo's leadership in proposing this important bill, and urges Congress to move quickly to adopt it," said Mike Granoff, Head of Oil Independence Policies for Better Place.
"Congresswoman Eshoo has been a consistent and strong supporter of electric vehicles, including Tesla Motors's efforts. Tesla Motors is supportive of the intent of the bill and thank Congresswoman Eshoo for her hard work," said Diarmuid O'Connell, V.P. Business Development at Tesla.
"Electric Vehicles bring 3 great benefits to Americans: 1) A low cost fuel, 2) A clean car that will save an estimate 2,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses per year, and 3) Vehicles that run on a fuel we make here in the US and don't need to import. Moving ahead the infrastructure for these cars will enable all Americans to take advantage of these benefits. In addition it will create thousands of jobs immediately as electricians and contractors install the charging stations we need," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies.
To see the text of the bill, click here .
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