John McCain has proposed a 300 million dollar prize for a better battery. Although I certainly am in favor of a significant increase in funding for batteries, I don’t understand why this is a prize. Why not just invest 300 million in R&D grants for better batteries?
Is it really a “prize”? So one company wins and everyone else loses? The government can be a powerful force for R&D. Energy, healthcare, food production, economy and even art are things the government can improve simply by providing grants to enterprising companies and individuals who can make a difference.
It’s a great thing to invest in, but we need to invest MORE. And we need to do it in a more diverse way. We need to build geo-thermal, wind, solar and every conceivable way to get off of gasoline. The encouraging thing is that if McCain is for it, then maybe there is a window of opportunity where both parties can agree and move the ball forward.
Whatya think?