Source: Purdue University
On August 5th, President Obama announced that Purdue University will receive a $6.1 million grant to develop degree and training programs for electric vehicles.
Purdue will partner with Notre Dame University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University Calumet and Indiana University Northwest to develop the program. The goal is to educate and train the work force needed to design, manufacture and maintain advanced electric vehicles and the associated infrastructure.
The Indiana Advanced Electric Vehicle Training and Education Consortium will develop certificate and associate degree programs for vehicle technicians, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for electric vehicle design and manufacturing engineers, and a certificate program in electric vehicle safety for emergency responders. It also will develop an outreach program to secondary schools and a Web site to provide information on electric vehicles to the general public.
Obama announced the grant during a speech in Elkhart. The government is handing out a total of $2.4 billion in grants to 48 projects in 20 states. He said Indiana is the second largest recipient of grant funding.
Here, AutoBlogGreen cut the pork and found what Obama’s stimulus bill means for our future in green transportation. Overall, this bill is very encouraging. However, it will take years before these measures can effect our economy (why many antsy senators opposed it). We should have done this 8 years ago:
As the Environmental Law & Policy Center and CNN note, high-speed and inner-city rail made out like bandits. The first version of the stimulus bill, written in the House, set aside $300 million for these trains. This ballooned to $8 billion – along with $6.9 billion for public transportation and $1.3 billion for Amtrak – by the time it was done.
Plug-in vehicles – as well as hybrids and fuel cell EVs – get a $2 billion investment for advanced battery technologies. The number of vehicles that are eligible for the plug-in electric drive vehicle credit jump up to 200,000 vehicles per manufacturer. The EDTA is happy with that, but is disappointed that the PHEV credit is capped at $7,500 and doesn’t apply to big vehicles (those that weigh over 14,000 lbs).
An upgraded smart grid is helped out by $4.5 billion for development and deployment.
Traditional cars don’t lose out, either. People who buy a new car in 2009 and who earn less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 jointly can deduct the sales tax.
