I am sure foreign companies will appreciate the money. There is also the chance he never meant to pay -off on this deal any way.
{Bounds told FOXNews.com that his understanding is the prize could go to anyone, but specifics of the proposal would be laid out if McCain becomes president.}
“If elected, John McCain would make it policy,” Bounds said, noting that McCain is trying to give Americans an understanding of innovative approaches that are available.
John McCain‘s proposal to award $300 million to the inventor of a better battery to power electric or hybrid cars may send wishful tinkerers to their garage, but that research already is well under way and about to be put to the test in an electric vehicle being built in Norway.
In fact, at least a couple of dozen new venture-backed companies are reportedly already vying to produce high-efficiency battery-operated automobiles. Chevrolet, for instance, is also working on an extended-range electric vehicle called Volt, which it hopes to complete by the end of 2010.
The key to the new electric car is the lithium-ion battery. One of the companies supplying the battery for the “Think” electric vehicle being built in Norway says McCain’s proposal is ‘’very exciting.‘’
’City’’ will be sold first in Europe, with plans to introduce it in Southern California next year. It is unclear whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was aware of that project, or the current state of battery technology, when he proposed a $300 million government prize early this week for the ‘’development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrid or electric cars.‘’
While McCain opponent Barack Obama criticized the proposal as a ‘’bounty’’ for some ‘’rocket scientist’’ to win, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said the proposed award has generated ‘’an extraordinary amount of excitement’’ with great feedback from industry and the scientific community.
Bounds told FOXNews.com that his understanding is the prize could go to anyone, but specifics of the proposal would be laid out if McCain becomes president.
“If elected, John McCain would make it policy,” Bounds said, noting that McCain is trying to give Americans an understanding of innovative approaches that are available.
Carroll said McCain is just coming up to speed on something that Ener1 has been working on for five years.
Given the concerns about safety and cost of research and development — Ener1 has already invested $200 million in the technology — Carroll said the company would be grateful for any government support, especially since advances in battery research ‘’won’t happen in your backyard.‘’
