Obama Praises US Automakers for Increasing Availability and Awareness of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
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Washington Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511
Illinois Contact: Julian Green, (312) 886-3506
Date: September 21, 2005
Obama Praises US Automakers for Increasing Availability and Awareness of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today praised American automaker Ford Motor Company for pledging to make gas-electric hybrid vehicles comprise half of all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles produced by 2010, and for pledging to produce 280,000 flexible-fuel vehicles in 2006. Obama also praised General Motors for its plan to begin an advertising campaign that will educate Americans about the benefits of flexible-fuel vehicles. Flexible-fuel vehicles are capable of burning E85 ethanol blend fuel or regular unleaded gasoline.
"Right now, the largest consumers of oil in this country are the cars we drive," said Obama. "But right now, we also have the technology to build cars that travel much further on a gallon of gas. I applaud Ford's decision to utilize this technology to build more of these fuel-efficient and flexible-fuel vehicles as an important step in putting America on the path to energy independence."
In a speech last week, Senator Obama proposed a plan called "Healthcare for Hybrids," which would have the government pay a portion of U.S. Automakers' retiree health care costs if the automakers will then invest 50 percent of those savings in hybrid vehicles. Today, health care costs represent $1,500 of the price of every GM car that's made. By picking up part of the tab for the health care costs of their retirees, Obama's plan would lift a huge burden off the auto industry that would then be invested in the technology crucial to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.
Obama's proposal would also require manufacturers to publicize the alternative fuel capability of their product through, for example, informational pamphlets, large stickers on the vehicles, and/or by selling the vehicle with a full tank of E-85.
"At the dawn of the Internet Age, Andy Grove of Intel famously said that there are two kinds of businesses: those that use email and those that will," said Obama. "Today, there are two kinds of car companies: those who make fuel-efficient cars and those that will. I commend Ford for manufacturing these cars and GM for educating more Americans about the benefits of fuel-efficiency so that America can begin reducing its dangerous dependence on foreign oil."