President George W. Bush took a stroll on the White House lawn this afternoon to examine plug-in electric vehicle technology. Two electric cars, a modified Toyota Prius, and a Phoenix Motorcars electric pickup were on display. Humorously enough, the hood of the Prius was up to mask the fact that it was a Toyota. The White was more interested in the battery technology than the vehicle.

All of this comes in lieu of the administration's push to win congressional approval to raise corporate average fuel economy standards by an average of 4 percent annually, starting in September 2009 for passenger cars, and in 2011 for light duty trucks. To give you some perspective on how unusual a move this is: fuel standards for cars have not been updated since 1985. Yikes.

Bush neither got into the vehicles, nor had them start up. He did. however, provide a two-minute speech to reiterate his State of the Union Address saying,

"I firmly believe that the goal I laid out, that Americans will use 20 percent less gasoline over the next 10 years is going to be achieved, and here's living proof of how we're going to get there," he said, referring to the battery-operated vehicles.

The new standards come on the heels of the EPA updating mileage tests for all new vehicles. More accurately reflecting real-world driving, the revised figures paint a grim picture of average american fuel economy: a staggering 22mpg. Let's hope this battery-technology gets some solid support from the government and the people. I'd hate to see a sequel to Who Killed the Electric Car?. Hit the jump for more!

Photo Credit: Eric Draper, White House