Plug In America Offers Bush a Lift

February 22, 2006

CONTACT: Marc Geller 415.861.7278

PLUG IN AMERICA OFFERS BUSH A LIFT, CALLS FOR AUTO SUMMIT

Plug in America is offering President Bush a ride in the car of his dreams - today - and asking him to make them a reality for lots more Americans within 18 months.

Some members of Plug In America already drive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), a clean, fuel-efficient technology that the President has praised repeatedly in speeches since he declared America to be "addicted to oil" in his State of the Union address.

"We urge President Bush to hold a summit with American auto manufacturers to lay out a concrete path to produce America's first plug-in hybrid fleet within the next 18 months," said Plug In America co-founder Marc Geller. "Daimler/Chrysler and independent American efforts already have put PHEVs on the road. Presidential leadership can make this a priority."

Plug-in hybrid technology offers drivers a way to fuel up with cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity. Adding additional batteries and a standard plug to today's popular hybrid vehicles can make driving without gasoline a reality in the near term.

Plug in America, a chapter of the Electric Auto Association advocating the use of electricity for cars, trucks and SUVs, praised the President's enthusiasm for plug-in hybrid vehicles in speeches Monday at Johnson Controls in Milwaukee and again Tuesday at NREL in Golden, CO.

Calling plug-in hybrids "the next generation of hybrid vehicles," the President explained in common sense terms how this technology can benefit the nation and consumers: "Start picturing what I'm talking about: you've got your car, you pull in, you plug it right in the wall�The plug-in hybrid, they estimate, can initially go 40 miles on electricity alone. So you've got a lot of folks living in cities like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who generally don't drive more than 40 miles a day. Therefore, within 40 miles you'll be on electricity and using no gasoline.�And now all of a sudden you're beginning to see the effects of this important technology on our national security and on our economic security. But, more important, for the pocketbook of our consumers.�

President Bush joins a diverse and growing chorus of plug-in hybrid vehicle supporters, including national security experts such as ex-CIA Director James Woolsey and Frank Gaffney, as well as the Rainforest Action Network and other environmental organizations.