The choice of Sen. Joe Biden as Sen. Barack
Obama's running mate brings another strong
advocate of progressive policies on energy and
transportation to the campaign and it may further
heat up the Obama-McCain race for the best
policies on plug-in cars. Biden supports
expansion of renewable fuels, strong legislation
on climate change -- and last year he authored
legislation to fund advanced battery development for plug-in hybrids.

At the Springfield, IL announcement, we also
heard the story of how Biden decided to take the
train from Washington to Wilmington -- 90 minutes
each way every day -- when he arrived in the
Senate thirty-five years ago. After his wife and
daughter died in a car crash, he chose not to
move to Washington but to raise his two sons in
Delaware. Now one of those grown-up sons is on
Amtrak's Board of Directors, and Sen. Biden still
takes that train every day and is a strong supporter of public transportation.

We mention this because we can't forget that
electrification of transportation is only one key
part of the broad transition we're beginning. In
response to our posting yesterday about Pickens
and using natural gas for cars, Mark Wiener, a
CalCars-News subscriber, responded, "with respect
to CO2, putting more goods on trains instead of
trucks and encouraging residential, solar water
heaters is hardly ever mentioned. But these are
potent methods of reducing CO2 and they are
economical for the end user." The U.S. differs
from almost every other industrial country in
shipping most goods by truck instead of by train.
As we talk enthusiastically about plug-in cars,
conservation, mass transit, and "smart growth" to
reduce vehicle miles travelled are even more effective solutions!

Below are a Detroit News report on Biden's
selection, excerpts from his positions on plug-in
cars from his Senate re-election campaign website
and his Senate website, and details of his
legislation on batteries. And look for a second
posting with more about plug-in cars at the Denver Convention.


Biden little known in Michigan, but is friend of automakers
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau Saturday, August 23, 2008
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080823/METRO/808230408

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware is little-known to
Michigan voters: Detroit News polling firm
EPIC-MRA last asked about Michigan voters'
attitudes toward him, in May of last year, 39
percent of likely Democratic primary voters said
they had not heard of him; the number is almost
certainly higher for the full electorate.

But Biden's legislative record includes a lot of
work on Michigan's signature industry: autos. He
was intensely involved in Delaware's unsuccessful
attempts to keep Chrysler's Newark, Del.,
assembly plant open. Last year, he authored a
bill calling for a five-year, $500 million boost
for research on lithium-ion batteries, the
crucial technology for making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles practical.

In an opinion piece that appeared in Wilmington
News Journal, his state's largest paper, in the
wake of the Newark plant decision, Biden and Rep.
Mike Castle wrote, "We must do whatever it takes
to help our domestic auto manufacturers remain competitive."

Though Biden, like most Democrats, generally has
favored higher federal fuel economy standards,
"he has always been there for us on auto issues"
said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing.

Biden grew up in working-class Scranton, Pa., and
he could improve the Democratic ticket's appeal
to white working-class voters and help solidify
support with organized labor. And he is Roman
Catholic; Catholics make up between one-quarter
and one-third of the Michigan electorate, and are
a constituency Obama sometimes struggled to win during the primaries.


FROM 4BIDEN.COM (Senate re-election site): Super efficient technologies:

There are now superefficient plug-in hybrids
which can get 100 miles to the gallon, powered by
lithium ion batteries. These hybrids are
dominated by foreign competitors from Japan,
Korea and China. These countries have invested
hundreds of millions of dollars in developing and
supporting the new technologies. Joe Biden
believes that America needs to make an equal
investment in new technology. He has proposed
legislation that would double our investment in
the development of batteries needed for hybrid
electric vehicles. http://www.4biden.com/news/energy-environment/


FROM BIDEN'S OFFICIAL SENATE WEBSITE:
http://biden.senate.gov/issues/issue/?id=0cc59be1-a50d-4e0f-952e-57931f6e4d62
"There is no question our oil dependence is
threatening our national security. It helps fuel
the fundamentalism we’re fighting. Our oil
dependence limits our options and our influence
around the world, because oil rich countries
pursuing policies we oppose can stand up to us,
while oil dependent allies may be afraid to stand
with us. If we don’t change our policy, oil will
further empower the countries that produce it,
restrict our options, and undermine our economic
and physical security. Where we can have the most
impact is stopping our demand for oil from
increasing as our economy grows. We know where to
start: expand alternative fuels and improve
vehicle efficiency. We can do this. We can absolutely do this."

THE BIDEN PLAN: ENERGY SECURITY FOR AMERICA

Senator Biden believes that in the near term, our
energy policy should focus on energy security ­
which we can start to strengthen right now by
reducing our own oil consumption and focusing our
attention on significant investment in renewable sources of energy. He would:

* INVEST IN NEW TECHNOLOGY
* INCREASE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
* ENCOURAGE AMERICANS TO USE ENERGY EFFICIENTLY
* INCREASE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF VEHICLES
* INCREASE USE OF RENEWABLE FUELS [below]
* REQUIRE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT

INCREASE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF VEHICLES: Raise Fuel
Economy Standards By 1 Mile Per Gallon More Each
Year: Senator Biden was pleased that in 2007, for
the first time since 1979, Congress passed a
provision that restructured the automotive fuel
economy program and raised standards. Senator
Biden believed that the provision should have
gone further, by upgrading to a better system
that combines protection for U.S. automobile
manufacturing jobs with predictable increases in
fuel efficiency standards for cars, SUVs and
light trucks. The new system would set fuel
economy standards based on the attributes of a
vehicle (such as its size and weight), with
individualized fuel economy targets that increase
by 4 percent per year (or approximately 1 mile
per gallon each year) reaching a 40 mpg average
by 2017 which will save approximately the amount
of oil we import from Saudi Arabia.

Invest in New Super-Efficient Technology: The
market for lithium ion batteries ­ those needed
for super-efficient plug-in hybrids which can get
100 mpg ­ is dominated by foreign competitors
like the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. That is
because these countries have invested hundreds of
millions of dollars in developing and supporting
the technology. Senator Biden believes the United
States needs to make an equal investment in new
technology like lithium ion batteries. He has
proposed legislation that would double investment
in the development of advanced lithium ion
batteries needed for plug-in hybrids and electric
vehicles ­ increasing it from $42 million to $100
million a year for five years.


SENATOR BIDEN'S REMARKS on introducing the
"American Automobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007" (S.1055)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=110-s20070329-48&person=300008#sMo\
nofilemx003Ammx002Fmmx002Fmmx002Fmhomemx002Fmgovtrackmx002Fmdatamx002Fmusmx002Fm\
110mx002Fmcrmx002Fms20070329-48.xmlElementm26m0m0m

Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE]: [Introducing S. 1055]
Mr. President, today I am introducing The
American Automobile Industry Promotion Act of
2007 to jump-start next generation battery
technology development in the United States and
extend incentives to American-made highly efficient vehicles.

This legislation authorizes $100 million a year
for 5 years to advance new battery technology--an
amount double the administration's current budget
request. On a national and international level,
we must do whatever it takes to help our domestic
auto manufacturers remain competitive.

Right now, the Japanese dominate the market for
lithium ion batteries because they invested
hundreds of millions of dollars in developing
this technology and in supporting their domestic
industry. And, the Koreans and the Chinese are
not far behind. American auto manufacturers are
playing catch-up and we need to move quickly.

Specifically, I am proposing to support the
development of advanced electric components,
systems and vehicles, by providing funds for
battery research to national laboratories, small
businesses, and institutes of higher learning.
The bill will also establish, through a
competitive selection process, an Industry
Alliance of private, U.S. based, for-profit firms
whose primary business is battery development.
The Industry Alliance would be an advisory
resource on short and long term battery technology development.

The new research initiative will have four major
areas of focus: (1) Research and Development
including battery technology, high-efficiency
charging systems, high-powered drive-train
systems, control systems and power train
development, and nanomaterial technology for
battery and fuel cell systems. (2) Demonstration.
The initiative also creates a demonstration
program which would devote resources toward
demonstration, testing and evaluation of hybrid
electric vehicles for many different applications
including military, mass market passenger and SUV
vehicles. (3) Education. The initiative will
support curriculum development in secondary, high
school, as well as higher education institutions
that focus on electric drive systems and
component engineering. (4) Testing. Finally, the
initiative would work with the EPA to develop
testing and certification procedures for criteria
pollutants, fuel economy, and petroleum use in vehicles.

In addition to research and development for the
lithium ion battery, the American Automobile
Industry Promotion Act will also set a national
standard for biodiesel, a cleaner-burning fuel
made from natural and renewable sources; and
expand tax credit eligibility for consumers who
purchase more fuel-efficient diesel vehicles.
Today's diesels are cleaner than their
predecessors, are in compliance with EPA
emissions standards, and are 30 percent more fuel
efficient than an equivalent gasoline engine.
Specifically, the bill expands the emissions
requirements to qualify for a tax credit for
various weight diesel vehicles, increasing the
number of American-manufactured more fuel
efficient diesel vehicles that qualify. This
provision would expire in four years, at which
time all highly efficient vehicles will have to
meet higher emissions standards to qualify for the tax credit.

Now is the time to act. It's not too late, but we
do not have the luxury of waiting. If we are ever
to be truly competitive in the global auto market
and free from our dependence on foreign oil, we
must move forward on all fronts.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the
legislation be printed in the Record.


EESI LEGISLATIVE REPORT: Biden Pushes Plug-Ins in New Legislation
http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CleanMotion/CM_April07.htm#Biden

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) recently joined a
growing list of policymakers in support of
plug-in hybrids with the introduction of
legislation to significantly increase the
nation's investment in the development of
advanced lithium-ion batteries for electric
vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The “American
Automobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007”
(S.1055) authorizes $100 million per year for
five years to advance relevant
technologies. This amount is double the
Administration’s current budget request for
battery and advanced vehicle component research and development.
<snip>
Currently, the United States lacks capacity to
manufacture advanced batteries for hybrids and
sources its batteries from foreign
markets. Domestic automakers and policymakers
alike have called for an accelerated effort to
develop domestic manufacturing capacity for
advanced batteries. Senator Biden, who hails
from Delaware, a major auto manufacturing state,
believes the U.S. must assist domestic automakers
in staying competitive with international lithium
ion battery research and development. His bill
would specifically support the development of
advanced electronic components, systems and
vehicles by providing funds for battery research
to national laboratories, academic institutions and small businesses.

To view the Biden plug-in bill, please visit:
http://thomas.loc.gov (Type S.1055 as the bill number)

DELAWWARE NEWS JOURNAL
Biden bill pays for battery research
Lithium ion technology would improve hybrid cars
By LULADEY B. TADESSE March 30, 2007
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/BUSINESS/70330\
0335/1006/NEWS

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., introduced legislation
Thursday that would boost federal investment in
the development of lithium ion batteries that he
says is critical for producing the next generation of hybrid vehicles.

Biden's bill, called "The American Automobile
Industry Promotion Act of 2007," would provide
$100 million a year for five years toward
research and development of battery technology.
The funds would go toward battery research at
national laboratories, small businesses and educational institutions.

Supporters say lithium ion battery research is a
key to the development of advanced hybrid
technology such as plug-in hybrid cars. Unlike
gas-electric hybrids like the Toyota Prius,
plug-in hybrids use electric power and travel
extended ranges without using gasoline. But the
development of plug-in cars is stunted because
more research is needed in lithium ion batteries,
Biden said. Such batteries are expensive and
there are very few manufacturers in the United States.

"Right now, the Japanese dominate the market for
lithium ion batteries because they invested
hundreds of millions of dollars in developing
this technology and in supporting their domestic
industry. ... American auto manufacturers are
playing catch-up and we need to move quickly," Biden said.

Automakers in Delaware, including DaimlerChrysler
AG and General Motors Corp., which are jointly
working on hybrid technology, are expected to benefit from the bill.

"Battery technology is definitely the most
significant challenge to not only hybrids, but
also fuel cell vehicles," said Nick Cappa,
Chrysler's Advanced Technology spokesman.

Biden's bill comes as Delaware's DaimlerChrysler
plant in Newark builds pilot models of the
company's first large-scale production hybrid vehicle, the Dodge Durango.

The Newark plant, which builds the regular
Durango and Chrysler Aspen, is to be closed in
2009, largely because it produces SUVs that are
not fuel-efficient. The plant employs about 2,100 people.

"This legislation is important not only for the
two auto plants in Delaware and the thousands of
people who work there, but also for the future of
the entire U.S. auto industry," said Sen. Tom
Carper, D-Del., who co-sponsored the bill.

The Biden bill also will devote resources to set
a national standard for biodiesel and cleaner
burning fuels like ethanol. It also would expand
tax credits for consumers who purchase fuel-efficient diesel vehicles.

Contact Luladey B. Tadesse at 324-2789 or ltadesse@...

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --