Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

McCain Offers $300M Prize in Assault on Car Batteries

Republican calls energy security 'the great national challenge of our time'

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 23, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – John McCain today offered a $300 million reward to the American who builds “a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” He said government had wasted energy money on special... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

1 comment

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

The Hill (Source Grid »)

Minutes from a McCain event today, including commentary on public transportation
Fresno Bee

Obama wants to rein in speculation
CNN

Politics • Entertainment

John McCain • vehicle emissions • fuel efficiency • automaker • electric cars • prize

More Newser Stories

Hybrid Cars Don't Pay: Study

Except for a few models, hybrids and electric cars take years to pay off

(NEWSER) - Thinking of buying a hybrid or electric vehicle to ease the pain at the pump? You may want to think again: A TrueCar.com study commissioned by the New York Times shows that, except in three cases, fuel-efficient technology is so expensive that these types of cars take years to pay off at today's gas prices—and that remains true even if gas were to hit $5 per gallon. In some cases, the average driver would take more than a decade to see savings over comparable conventional vehicles, which is a problem since the average person owns a car just six years. Most fuel-efficient cars will be more expensive to purchase and to drive for five years, at minimum. More»

New US Fuel Standards: 54.5 MPG by 2025

Obama hails new goal with automakers

(NEWSER) - Announcing new fuel-efficiency standards, President Obama hailed his administration’s deal with automakers as “the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” With mileage standards almost doubling, Americans will save some $8,000 per vehicle on fuel, the president said. The new requirements call for an average of 54.5 mpg for cars, light trucks, and SUVs by 2025, the Detroit Free Press reports. CEOs of the Big Three and some Asian automaker executives joined Obama for the ceremony. More»

Nissan Reveals Mass-Market Electric Car

LEAF will compete with EVs from GM, Mitsubishi

(NEWSER) - Nissan yesterday unveiled its entry into the electric-vehicle market, the Los Angeles Times reports. The LEAF is a five-seat compact that gets a top speed of 90 mph out of its lithium-ion batteries. The vehicle can go about 100 miles on a full charge, an attribute Nissan hopes will convince Americans to embrace EVs. More»

Electric Bike Performs, Lacks Motorcycle Sound, Speed

While nice for urban jaunts, range and speed are limiting

(NEWSER) - The Zero S electric motorcycle is everything an electric car should be—quiet, emission-free, affordable—but the formula doesn’t necessarily translate well to bikes, Jonathan Welsh writes in the Wall Street Journal. The performance mimics a typical 500cc gas-powered bike, with peppy acceleration, and a city-worthy 60mph top speed, but its 60-mile range and four-hour charge time is limiting. Perhaps worst: It lacks that motorcycle sound. More»

Fuel-Efficiency Standards May Threaten Safety

Experts say tight rules could push automakers to make smaller cars

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s new vehicle fuel-efficiency rules have safety experts worried that automakers will comply by churning out smaller, lighter cars—the more likely to kill you with, USA Today reports. Smaller vehicles are an easy route to boost efficiency that can also mean thousands more crash fatalities, but administration deadlines “are so tight that downsizing will be a tempting compliance strategy,” says a former US regulator. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

McCain Offers $300M Prize in Assault on Car Batteries

Republican calls energy security 'the great national challenge of our time'

John McCain • vehicle emissions • fuel efficiency • automaker • electric cars • prize

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Hybrid Cars Don't Pay: Study

Except for a few models, hybrids and electric cars take years to pay off

New US Fuel Standards: 54.5 MPG by 2025

Obama hails new goal with automakers

Nissan Reveals Mass-Market Electric Car

LEAF will compete with EVs from GM, Mitsubishi

Electric Bike Performs, Lacks Motorcycle Sound, Speed

While nice for urban jaunts, range and speed are limiting

Fuel-Efficiency Standards May Threaten Safety

Experts say tight rules could push automakers to make smaller cars

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?