Final Focus; Further Research Needed

When I wrote my Blog Analysis essay, I discovered I needed to know more about Obama's stimulus package. In the future, I will research and write blog posts about Obama's stimulus plan and how it will benefit the production of electric cars.

One of my first tasks will be to find specific information about the stimulus plan, including the amount of money that will go to specific projects affecting electric cars. For electric cars to be better for the environment, the electricity they use must come from clean sources. I know some money is going towards renewable energy sources needed to cleanly support a nation full of plug-in electric cars.

President Obama's stimulus bill has given billions of dollars towards renewable energy though I don't know how it is going to be distributed among different projects. For instance, I don't know how much is going to wind power, solar power and other sources. I also don't know how it is going to be distributed around the country. Will wind turbine money be funding projects around the country, including not just the mid-west, but also states like Maine? Will solar projects only be constructed in the southwestern U.S. or will less sunny states be considered? Will this money only fund large projects or will it also be used to fund wind turbines and solar panels at people's houses? I am not sure about how much of this money is tax breaks and how much will be direct incentives.

I might also research how Obama's 'smart grid' will power homes and businesses across the country, many are far from wind and solar power producing areas. The smart grid is 'smart' because, unlike the current electric grid, it will be able to shift power all around the country. I would like to research more about how the system will work. Solar and wind power from rural areas will be transmitted to more urban areas. The grid should be strengthened so the system will be able to handle the extra energy demanded when everybody is driving electric cars. I'm not sure if this need is part of the stimulus package.

These are important points to research before I can draw final conclusions. How green our electric supply will be, and how the electricity will be delivered to the country's homes, will be crucial factors for the success of electric cars.

I would like to interview someone, possibly at Chewonki, who owns an electric car, especially if they use renewable resource technology for charging. My first question would be, "how long does it take to charge your car and how far does it go on a single charge?". I would also ask them about how the cold affects the batteries charge and usage time. I wonder if they use alternative energy sources to charge the car. I would also ask their opinion of the new electric cars being produces by major automakers. I think this would be a good way to conclude my blog.