$20 Million Incentive Money For Heavy Duty Hybrids Available This Week

You may say Climate Change is Schmilate Schmange (Yeah i really said that.), but if you want some free incentives in California to buy a hybrid they are dishing it out. Enough to save for a Samsung HDTV? Easily.

A ground-breaking California project designed to stimulate the purchase and use of medium- and heavy-duty hybrid trucks and buses has opened for business today at the website “CaliforniaHVIP.org.”

The Hybrid Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP) was created by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to help California truck and bus buyers to buy these advanced, low-emission vehicles by providing vouchers to directly reduce their cost. HVIP provides buyers with purchase vouchers ranging from $10,000 to $45,000 per eligible vehicle. However, vouchers are only available on a first-come, first-served basis and buyers (fleets) are limited to no more than 100 vouchers each.

CALSTART, the clean transportation organization, is administering the HVIP program for ARB and operates the “CaliforniaHVIP.org” website to support fleet, dealer and manufacturer involvement in the program. All voucher applications are made online by truck dealers working with a truck buyer.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: Tesla Celebrates 1,000th Roadster

Tesla motors had a nice presentation at the DAIS this year with an announcemnt of its 1,000th production vehicle. It bears the unique Vehicle Identification No. 1,000, is a special-edition Roadster Sport in “Millennial White,” with a unique interior and carbon fiber accents. VIN 1,000 will be on display at the North American International Auto Show through Jan. 24.

Tesla Motors is the only automaker worldwide producing and selling highway-capable electric cars. For such a small company the 1,000th production model is something they are quite proud of. Probably much more proud than you are over your famous weight loss success stories.

Tesla Motors Presentation:

The world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer will donate the $175,000 Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of this collector's car to several charities in metro Detroit.

"A year ago right here in Detroit we had delivered about 150 Roadsters, so VIN 1,000 is a humble but important milestone for us," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "It's fitting to do something special with this unique car."

Tesla will donate the full value of the car to organizations including:

* Forgotten Harvest: Oak Park, Mich.-based charity focused on alleviating hunger and waste by rescuing food from more than 450 food industry donors.
* The Children's Center: Detroit-based coalition of civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and families.
* FOCUS: Hope: Detroit-based community organization focused on food and health programs to single low-income mothers and children, civic revitalization, and back-to-work education projects such as a "green jobs" training program.
* Sierra Club: The nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental group with over 1.3 million members and supporters, winning big victories to stop global warming and move America into a clean energy future.
* National Wildlife Federation: America's largest conservation organization with more than 4 million members, partners and supporters working to protect and restore wildlife habitat, confront global warming and connect with nature.

Fuel-Efficiency Focus at Detroit Auto Show Contradicts Consumer Search Data

It is no surprise that much of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show focused on the fuel-efficient side of the spectrum with hybrids, electric cars, and alternative fuel conversations. What is more surprising is that NADAguides.com, a leading provider of pricing information and market research for new and used cars, classics, RVs, motorcycles and boats, announced today the Top Five Most Researched Cars heading into the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. They were not these fuel-efficient cars.

Consumer data, based on model research volume within each brand, shows the highest consumer interest is in vehicles from Chevrolet, Lexus, Nissan and Honda. The Chevy Camaro, a Motown muscle favorite, led the way in most of 2009 and into the first weeks of 2010 as being the most researched vehicle on NADAguides.com. Obviously consumers care more about looking good in their cars and their diet pills than they do about fuel-efficiency from an outside perspective.

Does this actually suggest that people are more likely to buy these cars though? Of course people are more likely to look into the cars that make them tingle when they look at them. Are they more likely to buy these cars though?

"Although electric, hybrid and small cars are being showcased in Detroit this week, the patterns we are seeing from consumers show a desire for affordable and efficient vehicles that offer substantial performance, upscale amenities and impressive technology," said Mike Caudill, spokesperson for NADAguides.com. "This most recent data not only identifies the top cars consumers are most interested in, but also provides automakers with a clear roadmap of what consumers are looking to buy. One aspect that may also surprise critics is that despite the demand for small, fuel efficient hybrids, muscle cars, while a small part of the market, sold relatively well last year and continue to pique consumer interest."

NADAguides.com's Top Five Most Researched Cars are:

2010 Chevrolet Camaro
2009 Lexus ES350
2009 Nissan Altima
2009 Honda Accord
2010 Lexus RX 350

Electirc Vehicles: Solution, or Diversion (Post Detroit Auto Show Thoughts)

One of the main themes of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show was fuel efficiency. Electric vehicles were at the front lines of the entire show for all of the biggest auto makers. While I pay more attention to the cars that make my zit cream less of a need to pick up women, you really can't avoid the themes trying to take advantage of rising fuel costs to sell newer cars with better efficiency.

The focus on EVs at this year’s Detroit show sure made it look like the car makers really do believe that Electric Vehicles are a viable solution to replace gasoline as the 'fuel' that maintains our freedom of mobility here in the U.S.

EVs play well on TV, and if they could actually replace gasoline powered vehicles I wouldn’t have to be so negative. But when you see the reality of the drop-in-the-bucket EV sales forecast numbers coming from the world’s car companies over the next 30 years, you too should get pissed, just as we at The Auto Channel are. Once again the American public and the world are being suckered with 'fool's gold' (electric) allowing Big Oil to direct our eyes off a quick, real and nearby solution to our oil dependence.

In discussing alternative fuel and energy ideas with others in the industry, one oft repeated retort to us keeps being uttered: "There are many solutions to the gasoline problem, not one silver bullet; and it will take time to let the government and private companies develop and test new fuel technologies before we can determine the alternative fuel winners." More