Candidate McCain's Fuel Economy Plan Revealed

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Washington DC - June 24, 2008: The AIADA newsletter reported that Sen. John McCain vowed Monday to break the nation's dependence on oil for its cars and trucks if elected president, with tough targets for automakers, tax credits for car buyers, and $300 million for one smart battery inventor.

At a speech in Fresno, Calif., McCain offered criticism of the Bush administration and Congress, saying the economy was showing signs of 1970s-era stagflation. To reduce oil imports, "we're going to produce more, conserve more and invent more," McCain said. "And to a large extent, this strategy hinges on innovations in the cars and trucks we drive."

The Detroit Free Press reports that McCain proposed a $5,000 credit for the buyer of any vehicle that produces zero carbon emissions. The more carbon a vehicle produces, the smaller the credit.

Only all-electric vehicles and prototypes of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are considered zero-emission models, and automakers face several technical hurdles to producing either in high numbers.

Obama adviser Jason Furman said McCain frequently voted against tougher fuel-economy standards. Yet McCain was the chief cosponsor of a 2002 bill that would have set a fuel-economy target of 36 m.p.g. by 2015 - tougher than what Obama supported and Congress passed last year. For more on McCain's energy plan, CLICK HERE.