Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Charlie
Elio is being crucified because he isn't likely to hit a $6800 out the door price for his new car, but Washington will give you up to $7500 in tax credits if you buy a Volt and you can get into the HOV lanes driving solo. But nobody wants to throw money at a car meant for solo commuting that'll get better mileage than a Volt. Why? Because public policy here isn't about encouraging efficiency, it's about funneling public money to established companies.
Annnoying, isn't it?
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And it's not just about the fuel-efficiency, but also the lower overall footprint from the manufacturing process thru the entire useful lifetime of the vehicle. We know the Big Three could also do something similar to the Elio, or even if they wouldn't go so far they have all the technical resources needed to improve the average fuel-efficiency in their vehicles, but it's too comfortable for them to just blow taxpayers' money while they sell gas-guzzling trucks and full-size SUVs for the "urban cowboys" and soccer-moms because of less stringent emissions requirements for "light trucks".