Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?

Oil prices are at record highs. The overwhelming dependence of our cars and trucks on oil strains family budgets, threatens our national security and contributes to global warming. Plug-in electric vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce the United States’ dependence on oil. Yet can this potential be realized? If so, how? Is there a national interest in putting millions of plug-in vehicles on the road soon? How should policymakers in Washington, D.C., respond?

On June 11 and 12, the Brookings Institution and Google.org hosted a conference titled “Plug-in Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?” The conference placed a spotlight on plug-in electric vehicles, examining their potential, their viability, and the pros and cons of different federal policies to promote them.

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Speaker Biographies (PDF) »

Among those who addressed the conference are:

• The Honorable Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman, Senate Republican Conference (Remarks »)
• The Honorable John Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce (Remarks »)
• The Honorable Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
• The Honorable Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative (D-Wash.)
• Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Project Better Place
• John Bryson, Chair & CEO, Edison International
• Troy Clarke, President, GM-North America
• Peter Darbee, Chair and CEO, PG&E Corporation
• Mark Duvall, Program Manager, Electric Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute
• Juliet Eilperin, Correspondent, The Washington Post
• Mark Fields, President, Ford-North America
• Tom Friedman, Columnist, The New York Times
• Peter Horton, Producer and Director, “Grey’s Anatomy”
• Andy Karsner, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy  
• Felix Kramer, Founder, CalCars
• Tom Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute
• Deron Lovaas, Vehicles Campaign Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Alan Madian, Director, LECG
• John Podesta, President, Center for American Progress
• Dan Reicher, Director, Climate Change & Energy Initiatives, Google.org
• Bill Reinert, National Manager, Advanced Technology Group, Toyota
• David Sandalow, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
• Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director, Plug-In America
• Frederick W. Smith, CEO and Founder, FedEx, and Co-Chair, Energy Security Leadership Council
• Sue Tierney, Managing Principal, Analysis Group Inc.
• Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Correspondent, The Economist and co-author, Zoom
• Dave Vieau, CEO, A123 Systems
• Jon Wellinghoff, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Jim Woolsey, Partner, Vantage Point Venture Partners
• Mary Ann Wright, CEO, Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions