Greening the Detroit Bailout
Detroit’s request for a bailout presents the Obama administration with an opportunity to “put its money where its mouth is.” President-elect Obama’s pledge to advance the dual goals of energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be advanced by imposing the following condition on the Detroit bailout: insist that Detroit commit to development of plug-in electric hybrid cars.
As Thomas Friedman notes in his outstanding new book Hot, Flat and Crowded, electric plug-in hybrid cars “have the potential to make a huge impact on lowering energy demand, promoting renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.” (You can add making Detroit competitive to the list of reasons for moving toward plug-in hybrid cars.)
Friedman’s argument is impregnable. Approximately 30 percent of GHG emissions come from the transportation sector, so weaning our vehicles off gasoline could make a big difference. Conceptually, plug-in hybrids would be all-electric; that is, they would be powered entirely by electricity from the grid. Thus, converting to plug-in hybrids would dramatically shift the US away from dependence on foreign oil.
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