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Southern California Edison's facility one of two approved by the US energy department to investigate electric car performancePresident Barack Obama today toured a California electric car plant and announced a $2.4bn grant programme to develop plug-in vehicles. Obama visited the Southern California Edison electric vehicle technical centre, one of two test sites approved by the US department of energy to investigate electric car performance.Managed by one of the largest electric utilities in the country, the 16-year-old facility researches battery-powered and hybrid engines, and studies the potential impacts of having massive numbers of electric vehicles taking power from conventional utility networks. The facility says its fleet of battery-electric vehicles have logged more than 17m 'tailpipe-emission-free miles'. It is likely to be a major recipient of federal research dollars under Obama's programmes.'The problem's not a lack of technology - you're producing the technology right here

GOING on a school exchange usually involves packing pupils off to France or Germany to allow them to experience a completely different culture.