FreedomCar gets R&D dollars

The Department of Energy announced yesterday $20-million for plug-in electric cars. The goal is to create a reliable battery-powered car that can go 40 miles without a charge, longer than most commutes. A lot of research and development money is now targeting the safety and reliability of the battery. No one wants a repeat of the flaming laptop fiasco, which could kill the prospects of popularizing the new technology. Also crucial, making sure the battery works reliably for several years. Know how your cell phone battery can weaken on you over time? Imagine that happening to your car.

There's a few plug-in test models out there, and GM's Chevy Volt is expected to be out in 2010 or 2011.

Read the Department of Energy release here. For more information on the program, click here and here.

David Pogue of the New York Times interviewed GM's Bob Lutz about electric cars. Read the interview transcript from last week's blog post here.

-By Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer