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California's zero-emissions rebate program ironically runs out of green
Californians will have to look elsewhere to start receiving cash back for buying eco-friendly vehicles, as the California Air Resources Board has just announced that its ever popular rebate program is no more for the time being. CARB, as the board also goes by, launched its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) in March of 2010 with initial funding of over $11 million to go around -- but we knew it wouldn't last. According to the CVRP website, the program has issued a little over $7 million worth of rebates thus far, with the rest pending or reserved for the already existing EV-owners. The board hopes to bring the program back within the next fiscal year by charging it up with $17 million worth of rebates. It'll create more opportunities to get some of these rebates, while simultaneously extending the duration of the CVRP by decreasing the maximum amount to $2,500 (about half of the previous maximum). If you're doing your math correctly, that equates to more than 6,000 total rebates that'll be up for grabs -- opposed to the 1,400 first-rounders who were awarded the rebates already. With luck and some economical upturns, Californian volt-heads can cruise into 2012 with their non-petrol-deficient wallets a little bit fuller.
Bob Lutz test drives a Volt mule, deems the experience "electrifying"
We already knew that Chevrolet was testing out a fair bit of Volt hardware in modified Malibus, but the time finally arrived for bigwig Bob Lutz to take a test drive in one such vehicle. As General Motors forges ahead with plans to produce the vehicle and have it on the roads by 2010, Lutz was able to get behind the wheel of an "engineering development vehicle" with the 16-kwh Li-ion battery pack system; after cruising about with nary a drop of gasoline to thank, he semi-intentionally coined the experience "electrifying." It seems the version he drove wasn't exactly refined, thus he refrained from commenting (read: blasting) too much about the ins and outs of how it performed. Still, even 'ole Bob missed the "throaty roar of a [traditional] engine." We'll raise our glasses to that.[Via Wired]
Electric Think City car sets sights on North American launch
You totally thought that "Think" operation you heard about last summer was nothing more than yet another electric car dream that would never see reality, didn't you? Turns out, the endeavor could be more successful than anyone originally imagined, and if all goes to plan, the Think City should hit US shores later this year. Beyond that, the company is assuming that it "could be selling as many as 50,000 units in two or three years," and with pump prices soaring and a sticker of around $25,000, we don't have much reason to doubt that. The 110 miles-per-charge vehicle, which touts a top speed of 65MPH and reportedly meets all US / European safety standards, would likely be assembled in Southern California (at least, ones sold over here), but we've no idea if swarms of Think dealerships will start popping up after all this goes down.[Via International Herald Tribune]
