January 23, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 235 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLO­ Unfortunately, electric vehicles have not But we do not have the luxury of waiting GY DEVELOPMENT AND DEM­ always been given the prominent role they de­ until electric vehicle battery technologies are ONSTRATION ACT OF 1990 serve in the national policy debate about alter­ perfected to move forward with a commercial­ native vehicle fuels. While there may be a ization program. If we do, electric vehicles HON. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. number of reasons for this-some technologi­ simply will not be available in the mid-1990's OF CALIFORNIA cal, some economic-the real issue facing timeframe contemplated by the alternative IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Congress today is how to move electric vehi­ fuels programs now under consideration. The technology available today is adequate for Tuesday, January 23, 1990 cles from the drawing boards onto our Na­ tion's roads, particularly in those urban areas certain applications, primarily for fleet use in Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, I am where they can contribute significantly to air urban areas. Getting that technology on the pleased to introduce today the Electric Vehi­ quality improvement efforts. Even a combina­ road and creating niche markets for EV's cle Technology Development and Demonstra­ tion of regulatory mandates to use alternative offers us an effective means to pull private tion Act of 1990. This measure will help our fuels may not resolve the obstacles which sector research and development funds into Nation to achieve very important-and hereto­ combine to thwart the development of an battery programs at a far greater pace. fore mutually exclusive-goals: Clean air and electric vehicle market in time to make EV's a Our legislation proposes a Federal cost­ convenient transportation. Joining me today viable option by the middle of this decade. sharing program to stimulate market demand as original cosponsors are Representatives This legislation is a natural expansion of the for electric vehicles by cutting the high per ve­ VIC FAZIO, JERRY LEWIS, CARLOS MOORHEAD, effort to encourage development of electric hicle purchase cost of initial models off the TOM CAMPBELL, RON PACKARD, HENRY vehicle technologies that we called for in the production line. Our goal is twofold: To estab­ WAXMAN, and JIM BATES. electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Devel­ lish a domestic production capability and to The scope of the problem is clear. We opment and Demonstration Act in 1976. In drive down the cost of electric vehicles by know that over 100 urban areas do not meet 1976, we identified electric vehicles as being achieving favorable economies of scale existing Clean Air Act standards for ozone and an important means of reducing our national through greater production to the point at that more than 40 areas fail to meet stand­ which EV costs will be at least comparable, ards for carbon dioxide. We know that pro­ use of petroleum products. We recognized grams directed at reducing emissions from that our dependence on foreign petroleum on a life-cycle basis, with conventionally­ mobile source will be central to air quality res­ products was a threat to our national security fueled vehicles. toration efforts in these areas. as well as to our balance of payments. We The program will be oriented to areas not in Electric vehicles must be part of ar.y clean saw introduction of electric and hybrid vehi­ compliance with Clean Air Act standards. The air solution because they may be the single cles-particularly in urban areas-as an effec­ Federal Government's role would be limited to most effective means of reducing transporta­ tive means of reducing our use of imported competitively selecting a manufacturer or tion sector emissions in nonattainment areas. petroleum. We observed that electric vehicles manufacturers and specifying minimum per­ A recent report by the California Air Re­ "do not emit any significant pollutants or formance standards for electric vehicles along sources Board compared emissions of gaso­ noise," and for these reasons we set forth a with methods of integrating advances in bat­ line and alternately fueled vehicles, finding program aimed at facilitating the development tery technology into the initial production that even when the incremental emissions re­ of and removing barriers to the use of electric models. The private sector would be responsi­ sulting from increased electrical generation and hybrid vehicles and to promote their sub­ ble for finding purchasers for the electric vehi­ are considered, electric vehicles can reduce stitution for gasoline- and diesel-powered ve­ cles to be supported. The program will also up to 98 percent of emissions of reactive hy­ hicles in appropriate applications. generate data needed by consumers to drocarbons, 89 percent of nitrogen oxides and The ambitious objectives of the act have yet assess the usefulness of electric vehicles for 99 percent of carbon monoxide compared to to be fully realized, even though the benefits particular applications. gasoline powered vehicles. When the Air Re­ of electric vehicles from both an environmen­ Mr. Speaker, I believe this legislation is a sources Board compared other alternative tal and an energy security standpoint are un­ way to bring electric vehicle technologies to fuels with electric vehicles, such vehicles still surpassed by any other alternative vehicle their rightful place in the forefront of national came out significantly ahead. For example, in fuel. Part of the reason that we have not efforts to increase the use of alternative vehi­ carbon monoxide emissions, electric vehicles achieved the goals of the 1976 Act is due to cle fuels. It offers a means to introduce the are 124 times better than methanol, 174 times the decreased pressure for developing alter­ marketplace to the benefits of electric vehi­ better than liquefied petroleum gas and 11 natives to petroleum-based fuels resulting cles through a program that will attack directly times better than compressed natural gas. Re­ from the drop in world oil prices. Nor has consumer reluctance attributable to high initial placement of gasoline powered vehicles with technology, particularly in the area of electric vehicle costs. I hope that our colleagues will electric vehicles also offers the potential for storage batteries, proceeded at the pace we support our proposal and that we will be able actually reducing carbon dioxide emissions as expected in 1976. to move forward promptly with its consider­ well. The increasing environmental costs of con­ ation during the current session. A summary In fact one study has concluded that re­ tinued near-exclusive reliance on gasoline are of the bill is provided below: placement of just 1 percent of the vehicles exerting renewed pressure for the develop­ SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE ELEC­ registered in the United States with electrically ment of alternative fuels. We have an impor­ TRIC VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMON­ powered vehicles could eliminate 160,000 tant opportunity today to act. STRATION ACT OF 1990 tons of pollutants emitted per year. The sponsors of this legislation are well Section 1: Short Title. Electric vehicles have another important aware that there are also real technological Section 2: Findings. benefit: energy security. More than 60 percent barriers to be overcome. Electrical drive trains The section recites the important benefits of U.S. oil consumption is attributable to the must be improved, and the range and per­ of widespread use of electric vehicles, in­ transportation sector. One successful way of formance of current generation of electric ve­ cluding improving air quality, permitting the efficient utilization of electrical generat­ reducing oil imports is to use electric vehicles. hicles must be enhanced if full consumer ac­ ing capacity, enhancing national energy se­ Substitution of 1 percent of the vehicles regis­ ceptance is to be achieved. Battery research curity and encouraging electric vehicle pro­ tered today would save over 60,000 barrels of and development efforts, both federally sup­ duction in the United States. The findings oil per day, and the U.S. balance of trade defi­ ported programs and those of private industry, also acknowledge the barrier to electric ve­ cit would be reduced by $1 billion. must continue and intensify. hicle commercialization caused by the high e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 236 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS January 23, 1990 initial cost to users or owners. In view of the through to the ultimate purchaser in the Yet given their current state of develop­ benefits of electric vehicles to national form of a reduced purchase price for the ve­ ment, vehicles using these other alternate energy and environmental policy, it is in the hicle. To receive payment, manufacturers fuels may be closer to commercial availability public interest for the federal government will be required to certify to the Secretary to assist in the development, demonstration <1) that the discount will not lower the man­ than are electric vehicles. If our Nation is to and commercialization of electric vehicles. ufacturer's selling price of the electric vehi­ realize the substantial environmental benefits Section 3: Identification of Nonattainment cle below a manufacturer's suggested retail offered by EV's, we must begin efforts now Areas; Eligible Nonattainment Areas. price of a comparable vehicle; and (2) that that will assist in the accelerated commercial­ A two-step procedure is created to provide the electric vehicle will be used in the eligi­ ization of EV's. for the designation of areas in which elec­ ble nonattainment area in which the vehicle We have recognized at least since the pas­ tric vehicles should be introduced.