From the left-wing Associated Press. (H/T Gateway Pundit)
Excerpt:
President Barack Obama celebrated the opening of an advanced battery plant in Michigan on Monday as a critical boost for hybrid and electric cars — and a success for his administration’s economic stimulus program.
But even as mass-produced advanced batteries start rolling off assembly lines, costs are high for consumers, and hurdles remain.
“This is about the birth of an entire new industry in America, an industry that’s going to be central to the next generation of cars,” Obama said Monday in a phone call broadcast at the opening of A123 Systems Inc.’s lithium ion battery plant in Livonia, Mich.
“And it’s going to allow us to start exporting those cars, making them comfortable, convenient, and affordable. …. When folks lift up their hoods on the cars of the future, I want them to see engines and batteries that are stamped: ‘Made in America,’” Obama said, according to a transcript of the call released by the White House…
…Despite the fanfare, the battery industry faces many hurdles. Gas-electric hybrid vehicles represent about 1 percent of new vehicle sales, and many plug-in hybrids and battery electric cars are just entering the market.
Costs are high. The government has estimated that a battery with a 100-mile range costs about $33,000, although stimulus money could bring that down to $10,000 by the end of 2015.
That stimulus money came from job-producing investors and private companies. The government wasted the money, after taking a cut for their unions.
WINTERY KNIGHT 
Where do I start???
It’s not too different from the funding and subisdies that America gives to big oil. If we were to pull all of that money from them, the cost of a gallon of gas would be (much?) higher thus increasing the cost effectiveness of hybrids and electrics.
Just a couple of areas that big oil benefit from our (tax) laws:
* reduced corporate income taxes for the oil industry
* lower than average sales taxes on gasoline
* government funding of programs that primarily benefit the oil industry and motorists
* “hidden” environmental costs caused by motor vehicles, namely air, water, and noise pollution
Where was your indignation when Bush Jr signed off on a massive rebate for large SUVs? (see Section 179 of the tax code: if you were a business owner or partner, the house and senate came up with the idea of increasing the maximum from $25,000 to $100,000 and Bush signed it into law.) http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2002-12-18-suv-tax-break_x.htm
Electric cars would make economic sense in a truly free market. Unfortunately, the market is quite distorted. There are huge externalities with fossil-fuel vehicles: air pollution (think acid rain because of diesel or the large number of people who die because of asthma related illness – both paid for by public dollars), oil spills (my tax dollars have to pay for this because it’s capped for the poor oil companies to a ridiculously low liability amount), etc. These are effectively subsidized by everyone, lowering the price of oil far below what it would otherwise be.
Here is a link that gives a very good breakdown of the hidden costs of oil: http://www.evnut.com/gasoline_oil.htm
Some links to ponder – both showing the massive tax dodges built into the US law for big oil:
http://www.economywatch.com/economy-business-and-finance-news/spill-highlights-oil-industry-double-game-re-taxes-and-subsidies-06-07.html
http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/04/05/big-oils-tax-bill/
Here is a link that talks about massive subsidies for the oil industry :
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/05/oil_company_subsidies.html
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