BARACK OBAMA
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President, United States of America
Chosen because: In his State of the Union address in January, Obama, 49, repeated his campaign goal of putting 1 million advanced-technology vehicles on the road by 2015. He has expanded President George W. Bush's $7,500 tax credit program for EV purchases. He also mandated that, starting in 2015, every car or truck purchased for the federal fleet will be an advanced-technology vehicle. In his two years in office, the government has bought about 12,000 hybrids, up from 618 in fiscal 2008.
Quote: "There are few breakthroughs as promising for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing our dependence on oil as electric vehicles," Obama said in March. "We've created incentives for American companies to develop these vehicles and for Americans who want to buy them."
