CICP News & Updates

President Obama visited Northern Indiana on Wednesday, August 5, to announce $416 million in federal stimulus grants to Hoosier companies focused on vehicle electrification and advanced battery technologies.  In all, Indiana received the second-largest infusion of federal grants for green vehicles of any state, behind only Michigan (where most of the money flowed to automakers already being supported by bailout funds or companies receiving significant state incentives to boost the struggling economy there).

In Indiana, the grants will accelerate the momentum of the state’s clean technologies sector, already making great strides in developing critical components for the next generation of plug-in electric/hybrid vehicles (from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks).  While government has often proven itself ill-suited to picking winners in the marketplace, the volume of grants to Indiana certainly recognizes our rich heritage of energy innovation and the fact that companies here are working together (through initiatives like the Energy Systems Network) to bring exciting new technologies to market.

Please take a moment to look over two editorials by Paul Mitchell, President & CEO of CICP’s Energy Systems Network, which offer key insights on how these grants can trigger even more growth and investment in our cleantech industry:

Jump start for green vehicles - Indianapolis Star, August 17, 2009