Obama Picks Plug-In Hybrids to Cap Press Conference And Inspire Americans
CalCars.org and the broad coalition that's been promoting plug-in hybrids -- and hoping that the auto industry crisis wouldn't derail their production -- got a reassuring sign today. It came at President Barack Obama's 100th Day Press Conference on April 29, 2009. In the last question, the President was asked how the federal government, as an interim part-owner of private companies, might shape their products. He picked plug-in hybrids as the model for his hopes and expectations. He cited them as his way to demonstrate his confidence in American industry -- its resources, capabilities, expertise, and future.
Starting at 3:15 you can see him pausing, then choosing PHEVs (full transcript at CalCars-News Archive):
...like any investor, the American taxpayer has the right to scrutinize what's being proposed and make sure that their money is not just being thrown down the drain. And so we've got to strike a balance. I don't want to be -- I'm not an auto engineer. I don't know how to create a -- affordable, well-designed, plug-in hybrid, but I know that if the Japanese can design a -- affordable, well-designed hybrid then, doggone it, the American people should be able to do the same. So my job is to ask the auto industry: Why is it you guys can't do this? And in some cases they're starting to do it..."
