Congress may fund electric cars

by MIKE MARTIN, UPI Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON, June 27 (UPI) -- House science committee chairman Sherwood Boehlert introduced a legislative bonanza for alternative fuel vehicles Wednesday -- a $200 million research and development funding initiative -- speeding past slow-moving colleagues and the Bush Administration in the drive to make Americans drive smarter and more fuel efficiently.

"The federal government should be doing more to encourage the development and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles because there are clear public benefits and the technology will develop too slowly without incentives," Boehlert, R-N.Y., told a crowd of journalists and alternative fuel advocates.

The new law would enable states and localities to purchase and service alternative fuel vehicles -- cars, buses, and trucks that run on electricity, natural gas, and solar power. It would also provide funds to 15 grantees for up to five years to pursue alternative fuel technologies. The bill charges the Energy Secretary with implementation, requiring the Department of Energy to issue proposal requests within 90 days of passage and select projects not later than 180 days after completed program applications arrive.

"We need to do everything we can to demonstrate the viability of alternative fuel vehicles if we are going to have a balanced energy future," Boehlert said. That viability was on display at Boehlert's press briefing, where every manner of electric vehicle scooted in and out of a busy intersection just south of the U.S. Capitol. Boehlert himself arrived in a new Ford model powered entirely electrically.

"If they would give me one of these, or loan me one, I'd drive it -- but that wouldn't fly," Boehlert told reporters. "You can't give me five cents for a cup of coffee, but you can give me $5,000 for my campaign -- what kind of crazy logic is that?" Boehlert expressed enthusiasm for the forward-thinking technologies surrounding him. "I'd like to meet with the Architect of the Capitol to figure out a way to get more of my colleagues driving these," Boehlert said, eluding to the probable need for recharging stations on the Capitol grounds.

The show of electric vehicle makers also included Daimler-Chrysler, displaying an auto-golf cart hybrid called a "neighborhood electric vehicle" that carries a family of four and plugs into a standard 110 volt outlet. Dynasty Motorcars from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada gave test drives in the new, full-sized 2-door "It."

"It's $12,700 and we first introduced 'It' in North Carolina," said sales vice president Richard Howard, from Dynasty dealer Alternate Neighborhood Transportation in Southport, N.C. Howard told United Press International 'It' has a range of 30 miles (48 km) on one charge and runs on rechargeable 12 volt batteries. The car was virtually silent on start up.

With these new alternative energy cars, "you drive your way out of the energy problem," Boehlert said. "You don't have to drill your way out."