McCain presidency would mean electric cars powered by nuclear plants, clean coal

[Eletruk]

From AutoBlogGreen:

News rolled in yesterday that Republican presidential candidate John McCain has called for a huge increase in the number of nuclear power plants in the U.S.: 45 new plants by 2030, and another 55 after that. That's almost twice as many new plants as are operating in the U.S. today (104, according to the AP). What benefits does nuclear offer? According to McCain, "Every year, these [104] reactors alone spare the atmosphere from the equivalent of nearly all auto emissions in America." Of course, there's a lot of uncertainty about nuclear power, as we recently discussed, and McCain's call to reduce the time new nuclear plants would need to get permits cleared away doesn't seem exactly prudent. McCain also said the U.S. should spend $2b a year developing clean coal technologies.

The issue of producing electricity is key to the green car movement, especially as we move more and more to plugging our vehicles in. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn likes nuclear for plug-in cars, for example. A while back, when we delved into the nuclear debate in any length here on AutoblogGreen, I said I'm not at all convinced that nuclear power is the best way to power out EVs. But some of you do think so, and that's fine. Here's a question for everyone, though: does McCain's plan make sense to you, or are we back in summer gas tax holiday territory?

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/19/a-mccain-presidency-would-mean-electric-cars-powered-by-nuclear/