Barack Obama may see his automotive legacy forever enmeshed in the once-unpopular automotive bailout of 2009 (though it was President George W. Bush who signed the bill for the program in the waning days of his tenure), but taking a longer view, he might be seen as the Plug-in President. From the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which allowed various incentives and credits for electric vehicles and infrastructure, to his 2011 State of the Union announcement to increase grants and aim for a goal to put a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, Obama has been bullish on EVs all along.
That 2015 goal, of course, proved to be overly ambitious?we passed a million EVs worldwide late last year?yet it hasn?t tamped down the administration?s enthusiasm for EVs. Instead it?s led to a more expansive, holistic approach that endorses electric-vehicle technology from the power station to the pavement. The release of a briefing and fact sheet this past week highlighted this approach, announcing an executive action that will unlock up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees to support a wide range of federal and public-private partnership projects for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Those guarantees come via the Department of Energy?s Loan Program Office (LPO), which issued a supplement clarifying that vehicle-charging facilities, charging hardware, and associated software are now eligible for these loans. It?s essentially the same funding gateway that enabled ne...