Now you have two more. Assuming you’re a Chevy Volt and/or hybrid car fan, anyway. First, California will be ending the special exemption that Prius and other hybrid car owners enjoyed which allowed their “green cars” to use the HOV (aka “carpool”) lane even when only one passenger was in the car. So on January 1, 2011, if you’re car is a gasoline-electric hybrid of any kind, you sit in traffic like everyone else. Second, the Chevy Volt just got dissed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and told that the Volt doesn’t get to be called an “Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (AT-PZEV) by CARB standards, so it doesn’t get the California state tax incentive of $5,000 for its purchase.
The first one would make me angrier, were I living in California, than the second, of course. But I live in one of those states that somehow gets by without a state income tax. I’m used to my neighbors in Colorado whooping it up over their huge state-level tax rebate program for alt-fuel vehicles (especially electrics). I usually smile and say something like, “I think I’d rather just pay no state income tax and pay the extra for the car. Works out better in the long run.”
But this article isn’t about governmental tyranny (I mean taxes), it’s about California once again proving that it sucks.
So Prius and other hybrid car owners won’t get to be all hoity in the HOV lane with their cars anymore and those who decide to purchase a Chevy Volt in California will have to foot the whole bill themselves (and also not get into the HOV lane).
Why do people live in California again?
I’ve asked this several times and it’s always “the weather is nice.”
Seriously, that’s all you can come up with? You have a narcissistic governor (OK, OK, so’s our president, but still…) who traipses around pretending to be a Republican while he grabs every camera opportunity available. He then uses that face time with the media to totally ignore California’s real problems (they’re in the fiscal toilet) and instead talks about how much they need to “encourage” (this means “throw money at”) all of these green projects.
By the way, Wyoming produces just over 1GW (not quite the Professor’s 1.21) of wind power annually and almost every single electron goes to California.. Hmm…
At any rate, I personally wouldn’t take anything to live in California. Even if my Publisher’s Clearinghouse win centered on my moving there to collect. F that. I’ll keep my wide open spaces, no traffic, nice neighbors (whose names I actually know), and near-zero crime rate; thank you very much. HOV lane* and tax breaks or no.
*For the record, the “HOV lane” in Wyoming doesn’t exist. Why? Because a traffic jam here is when more than ten cars are visible. Even on the freeway and yes, even in town. Although they did close one road for the cattle drive preceding the state fair this week.
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[...] there you go. The Volt is finally priced, though it doesn’t get a rebate from California (8 year warranty, CARB requires 10). Speaking of which, apparently Nissan decided that [...]
July 27, 201020:04
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