McCain Pushes Lower Auto Emissions

Senator John McCain proposes incentives to move American vehicles away from oil.

McCain's proposals include a $300 million prize to encourage the development of an automobile battery that delivers power at 30 percent of current costs and has "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars."

McCain also proposes stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards, as well as incentives to increase use of domestic and foreign alcohol-based fuels such as ethanol:

According to excerpts of his speech obtained by Reuters, the Republican presidential candidate will call for auto manufacturers to speed the process of making engines that can use alcohol-based fuels.

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"For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a $5,000 tax credit for each and every customer who buys that car," he will say. "For other vehicles, whatever type they may be, the lower the carbon emissions, the higher the tax credit."

Car makers have argued in the past that consumers do not always favor fuel-efficient cars and that government incentives would help encourage people to buy them.

All good ideas. With gas prices passing $4 per gallon, consumers will favor fuel-efficient cars now.