In other car related news, the Aptera, a 200-mpg electric car scheduled for release sometime in the next few years, is running into some bureaucratic problems. It seems the unfortunately shaped (just one man's opinion), ultra-efficient auto is being hoisted on its own petard: in thinking so unconventionally about the design of the vehicle, the designers have accidentally disqualified the car from any part of the $25 billion Department of Energy package designed to encourage the development of... ultra-efficient cars.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K66Aq1M7rOYYes, you heard that right: because it has three wheels, it is a motorcycle in the eyes of the government. Clearly, the problem is not with the outside the box thinking of the Aptera developers, but rather with the inside the box thinking of the legislators responsible for authoring the DOE loan program and related regulations. Which is why representatives from Aptera motors went to Washington last week to help lobby for a bill that would updates the outdated regulations. In the meantime, GM, a manufacturer with a fleet of cars that average about 30 mpg, is requesting $8 billion from the DOE fund. Let's hope Aptera and Washington can work it out.Via. Photo by Flickr user Jay Tomboli.
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