$300 Million to Inventor of More Efficient Car-Battery

In an effort to help Americans be less dependant on foreign oil John McCain has made a $300 million proposal. He announced his proposal recently at an event at the student union at California State University in Fresno. This $300 million proposal is to be rewarded to the inventor of a more efficient car-battery to power hybrid and electric vehicles.

To win the inventor would need to create a battery that could hold enough charge in the hybrid for a long enough period of time. The battery would also have to have "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." It would need to deliver power at 30 percent of current costs. Not much else was said about the proposal.

Where will the prize money come from? The prize money would be funded through taxpayer dollar. Divided between all Americans the $300 million taxpayer dollars "equates to about $1 for every person in America," according to McCain. In addition McCain proposes to make tougher rules for automakers and to offer consumers up to $5,000 in tax credits for the purchase of vehicles that produces zero carbon emissions.

What do you think about McCain's proposal? Could it make a difference and help inspire someone to come up with a more efficient car-battery quickly or is this just a campaign gimmick? Share your thoughts below.

Via MercuryNews.com and Freep.com