President Obama Urged To Create Task Force For Plug-in Electric Vehicles
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
—Business groups seek acceleration of
electrification of transportation
sector—
To download a PDF of this
press release, click
here.
WASHINGTON—July 20,
2010—Organizations representing auto
manufacturers, electric utilities and the
electric drive industry today called on
President Obama to establish a new National
Electric Fuel Task Force to help accelerate the
adoption of plug-in electric vehicles and the
necessary infrastructure.
A letter
was signed and delivered to the White House
by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,
the Association of International Automobile
Manufacturers, the Electric Drive
Transportation Association and the Edison
Electric Institute. The organizations said the
task force is needed to provide a forum for
public and private sector coordination, address
challenges for large scale deployment of
plug-in electric vehicles and develop consumer
awareness and education efforts to accelerate
the adoption of these vehicles in the U.S. Led
by the Department of Energy, the task force
would include federal and state regulators,
standards organizations, utilities,
environmental groups, consumer groups and
electric drive industry
stakeholders.
The organizations also
called on the administration to form an
Interagency Electric Drive Working Group to
help streamline federal programs, expenditures
and regulations related to electric drive.
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, $2.4 billion in grants have been given to
battery and charging infrastructure companies
to speed up deployment and the growth of the
U.S. electric drive industry.
“The
Administration’s ongoing support has been
critical for growth of the electric drive
industry, and these recommended initiatives
will provide the next stage of federal
leadership,” said EDTA President Brian Wynne.
“The task force will promote the coordination
of state and local efforts to move U.S.
transportation away from oil, resulting in a
cleaner environment, a more secure nation and a
more competitive economy.”
“The
President has set a highly ambitious goal of
bringing one million plug-in hybrid vehicles to
our nation’s roadways by 2015,” said AAM
President and CEO Dave McCurdy. “By taking
these steps, the Administration can ensure that
federal agencies set long-term, consistent
policies that encourage electric drive vehicle
and infrastructure deployment.”
“The formation of a federal task
force on electric transportation could not come
at a more opportune time,” said EEI President
Tom Kuhn. “Along with their electric drive
partners, electric utilities are very eager to
help lead the rapid and broad-based integration
of electric vehicles into the transportation
mix. A new federal effort to provide leadership
and harmonize existing efforts promises to
significantly accelerate the trajectory of
electric transportation at a time when our
nation badly needs it.”
“Aligning
efforts between the public and private sector
is the logical next step to bringing our nation
closer to achieving widespread acceptance of
electric drive technologies,” said Mike
Stanton, President and CEO of
AIAM.
For more information
on:
Electric Drive Transportation
Association (EDTA) visit
www.electricdrive.org
Alliance of
Automotive Manufacturers (AAM), visit
www.autoalliance.org
Association of
International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM),
visit www.aiam.org
Edison Electric
Institute (EEI), visit
www.eei.org
About EDTA:
The Electric Drive
Transportation Association (EDTA) is the trade
association representing battery, hybrid,
plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric drive
technologies and infrastructure. EDTA conducts
public policy advocacy, education, industry
networking, and international conferences.
EDTA’s membership includes automotive and
other equipment manufacturers, energy
companies, technology developers, component
suppliers, and government agencies. For more
information about EDTA and its members, visit
www.electricdrive.org.
About AAM:
The Alliance is a trade
association of eleven car and light truck
manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler,
Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land
Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors,
Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.
About
AIAM:
The Association of
International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc.
(AIAM) is a trade association representing 15
international motor vehicle manufacturers who
account for 40 percent of all passenger cars
and light trucks sold annually in the United
States. AIAM provides members with information,
analysis and advocacy on a wide variety of
legislative and regulatory issues impacting the
auto sector. The Association is dedicated to
the promotion of free trade and to policies
that enhance motor vehicle safety and the
protection of the environment. For more
information, visit our website at
www.aiam.org.
About EEI:
The Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of
U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Our
members serve 95 percent of the ultimate
customers in the shareholder-owned segment of
the industry, and represent approximately 70
percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We
also have more than 65 International electric
companies as Affiliate members, and more than
170 industry suppliers and related
organizations as Associate members.