We hear a great deal these days about how the Chinese are eating our lunch with respect to both energy security and emerging clean energy technologies.  Yet, just as we finished ahead of the Brits in our group at the World Cup, at least we seem to be embracing vital vehicle electrification technology more robustly than our cousins across the pond.

In reading read today’s Guardian (I know, me neither, but here’s the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/01/green-car-electric-vehicle-makers ), we learn that the UK is no longer planning to provide important incentives for vehicle electrification.

 As Adam Vaughan reports:  “Electric carmakers today warned the government it is jeopardising the take-up of green cars that experts believe is vital to meet the UK’s climate change targets.

The warning came after the business secretary, Vince Cable, yesterday failed to confirm the fate of the former Labour government’s pledge to subsidise new electric cars up to £5,000. On the same day, the government’s climate change advisers said such vehicles were one of four key areas of focus for the UK to hit legally binding carbon budgets.

In a joint letter to be sent to Cable and the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, Citroën, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot and Renault wrote that “without the incentives, the UK will become a significantly less attractive market in which to place our products.”

The letter says: “Simply put, as businesses we will target the markets that provide the best environment for selling our vehicles. The emergency budget made no specific reference to supporting low-carbon vehicle incentives and has therefore left our businesses uncertain of the government’s position.”

That’s right, without incentives that can internalize externalities and bring the cost of electric vehicles in line with the true cost of their petroleum-burning, terrorist-supporting, climate-changing competitors, electric vehicles will not begin to win the hearts and minds of cost-conscious consumers.

Vaughan further reports that foregoing the incentives will undercut “Nissan’s electric Leaf, which from 2013 will be built at the company’s Sunderland plant and employ about 4,000 people. The “plug-in car grant” was due to come into effect on 1 January 2011.”

Maybe Nissan should relocate to the good ol’ USA — specifically the great state of Washington.  As today’s USA TODAY reports ( http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/06/washington-state-creating-electric-car-charging-network/1), the Evergreen State is “embarking on creating a well-marked “electric highway” along one of its busiest freeways – from Oregon to the Canadian border.”

“Interstate 5, running north and south along western Washington, would be marked with signs pointing electric-car drivers to charging stations along the route, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

“Under Gov. Chris Gregoire, the nation’s first “electric highway” would be created with a $1.3 million federal grant for seven to 10 Level 3 fast-charging stations. Level 3 stations can usually recharge a vehicle’s battery in 15 to 30 minutes.”

Not bad, with benefits beyond reducing our dependence on foreign oil and rebalancing our imbalance of trade, as businesses expect to “draw customers who might buy coffee or a sandwich while waiting for the battery to charge.

“The stations will be spaced no more than 80 miles apart, which would be suitable for a Nissan Leaf owner who can get about 100 miles per charge. The state is looking at several contractors for the project and is still unsure how much customers will be charged for electricity.

Seattle is also taking part in the EV Project, a federal study that aims to look at how EV drivers use their vehicles and interact with the grid.”

Go, Seattle!! Get with it, England!

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