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McCain wants to be Energy candidate
From today's WSJ, Campaign 08
McCain Challenges Auto Makers on Fuel Efficiency
He proposes $5,000 tax credits towards the purchase of Zero Emissions Vehicles and a $300 million prize for a longer-range battery, which will be necessary to make EVs more than short range urban vehicles. The more I look into EVs the more I find batteries to be a very tough nut to crack. Whereas a tank of gas doesn't care how far you commute, a given battery will work best at a particular discharge percentage. If you happen to commute just far enough to discharge the battery correctly, that's great - otherwise you could be spending thousands on replacing batteries for your EV.
Senator's Broad Range of Energy Policies Defies Categories
"Sen. John McCain is putting energy policy at the center of his presidential campaign ..." but the list is long and contradictory. Subsidizing wind, solar or ethanol "distorts the market," but he's in favor of subsidies for nukes and clean coal because, "We know clean coal is a winner." He wants to (temporarily) lower the gasoline tax, but favors a cap and trade that would raise the price of gasoline. He's for penalizing luxury car makers that fail to meet CAFE standards, but he's opposed CAFE standards in the past. He opposed drilling in ANWR, but now he's for drilling offshore.
Obama Tilts Toward Center, Irking Some Activists
Obama's stances on FISA and corporate taxes are seen as a strategy to challenge McCain for the center.
Comments (4)
On Energy:
John McCain = Phil Gramm = Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 = Enron loophole
or
On the Economy:
John McCain = Phil Gramm = Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act = Citigroup Inc. = Subprime meltdown = Phibro LLC = Oil Speculation
June 24, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think you can replace some of your = signs with double-headed arrows.
this avatar is much less scary than your old one.
June 24, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hiya Donal. I think plug-in's solve a lot of the problems EV's have that you describe. They eat up most of the daily miles for most people, and after that - the ICE carries the freight. My guess/expectation though, is that EV's will come in in other nations first and strongest. Where they have shorter distances, greater congestion and such. As mass production of batteries rolls out, the cost will (after a bit) fall. Plug-in's (and hybrids) probably eating most of the market share here.
Meanwhile though, the work on expanding the state of charge window will be racing along - as it is today. The only questions on my mind are whether and how much and for how long each of the 3 options - hybrids and plug-in hybrids and all-electrics - gain market share. i.e. Will electrics progress fast enough to effectively surpass the time we spend with hybrids and plug-in's.
And yes, Obama needs to race to cover this ground, ASAP. To have a Republican - any Republican - claiming this ground is nuts. Since Obama sponsored one of the earliest plug-in laws, I'm hoping he has people on it. With GM now betting awfully heavily on this horse too with the Volt, he could find himself with some useful allies in Michigan and elsewhere.
Thanks for the post. Rec'd.
June 24, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
i am afraid that OBAMA has problems in his double speak background on energy that actaully makes mccain seem a bit more principled.
Obama Camp Closely Linked With Ethanol
Mr. Obama is running as a reformer who is seeking to reduce the influence of special interests. But like any other politician, he has powerful constituencies that help shape his views. And when it comes to domestic ethanol, almost all of which is made from corn, he also has advisers and prominent supporters with close ties to the industry at a time when energy policy is a point of sharp contrast between the parties and their presidential candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/us/politics/23ethanol.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&adxnnlx=1214241634-tBQ0imm32pSgUvytsJurSQ
June 24, 2008 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
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