Obama's Electric Car Projections at Odds With Industry

The Obama administration's projections that America can have 1 million electric cars on the road in the next four years are at odds with industry production plans. An administration report said that automakers will be able to roll 1.2 million plug-in cars off the production lines by 2015, The Washington Post reported.

Auto officials said just last week that production plans are insufficient to meet President Barack Obama’s goals laid out in last month’s State of the Union address. Nonetheless, Energy Department official David Sandalow said that “when you start tallying up what the companies have said, the announced production capacity exceeds 1 million by 2015.The production capacity will not be a significant restraint in reaching the president's goal. This is an industry that is taking off around the world," the Post said.

The Obama administration based its calculation on media reports not confirmed by the auto makers. Hybrid autos took eight years to reach the million-car mark, the Post said. Sandalow acknowledged that even if the auto companies reach the president’s production goals there is no guarantee that consumers will embrace the expensive, limited-range cars.

Sandalow said, "There are uncertainties certainly in terms of consumer demand and public awareness. The president's proposals are designed to address those types of issues," the Post said.