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Barack Obama has released a $2.4bn grant to encourage the development of electric cars in the US. The majority of the sum will finance research into batteries and recycling.
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For too long, we failed to invest in this kind of innovative work, even as countries like China and Japan were racing ahead.", announced the US President, presenting his plan on 5th August 2009. "
This is an investment in our capacity to develop new technologies tomorrow. This is about creating the infrastructure of innovation." he added. Of the
$2.4bn allocated to the development of electric vehicles, the majority ($1.5bn) will finance manufacturers’ research efforts favouring batteries and components, and recycling.
Two groups have announced that they will benefit from the grant in this context: the Japanese manufacturer Nissan ($100m) which wants to install 2,500
recharging stations for zero-emission vehicles and the US components manufacturer Johnson Controls ($299m) which will invest in battery production units
.
