President Obama: '1 million electric vehicles by 2015'

It’s no secret alternative fuel cars and electric cars will infiltrate the automotive industry as last evidenced by the attention several new green car models offered by Honda to Toyota and Volkswagen to Ferrari received at the Detroit auto show.

But in case there’s any doubt on the major emphasis ahead for carmakers, here’s the short, relevant text from the State of the Union address from President Barack Obama on future car technology:

“At the California Institute of Technology, they’re developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they’re using supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities.”

“With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. We need to get behind this innovation. And to help pay for it, I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own. So instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, let’s invest in tomorrow’s. Now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they’re selling.

“So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: by 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources. Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all — and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen. Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America’s success.”