By: Daniel Kerbein & Evelina Molina for ElGuardian.us and Ventana Latina The US government and the State of California are offering thousands in tax breaks for your EV purchase. Ready to save $10,000 on your next new car? You can save that, in rebates and tax credits, just by purchasing an electric vehicle (EV). You can get even more if you do it before the end of 2016. People are buying $35,000 cars for under $14,000. And that steady flow of cash they've been pouring into your car at the gas station? Gone. These cars have the letters “EV” at the end of their name, short for electric vehicle. They're super-silent, fast accelerating models powered by electricity from their advanced storage batteries. The ones that rate for the highest rebates and credits come with a list of standard and optional features, including one they all have in common: you can drive any of them 100 miles and back, on a single charge. These fast moving commute cars pack a 4kWh battery. Which means when the light turns green, you leave the gas guzzlers in your dust – without even making a sound. Some EVs have smaller 2.5 kWh batteries, and still can get you a handsome rebate. If you're new to the concept it's OK, you won't have to look very far to find an EV you like. Dealerships all over California offer at least one - Ford, Fiat, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, the list goes on. Locally, at Santa Rosa Platinum Chevrolet, the Chevy Bolt EV(est. 200+ miles range per charge) will start at $29,995 after a federal tax credit of $7,500, GM announced and more rebates may apply making the investment very feasible for many. Let's start with the tax break from Uncle Sam. If you owe more than $7500 in taxes this year, the IRS will allow you a credit against all of that tax debt, if you purchase a qualifying EV by the end of the calendar year. Here's how it works: The size of the IRS tax break is determined by the size of the battery, which translates into the number of miles you can travel on a battery charge. The trick is, you have to owe $7500 to get that credit. If you owe $4500 in tax, that's the amount of credit you get. You don't get a carryover to the next year, but you have zeroed out your 1040 this year - and have a budget-saving set of wheels to show for it. Hang on, it doesn't stop there. In Sonoma County, participating dealers are offering Nissan LEAFs and BMW i3s with significant savings from October 27, 2016 through January 5, 2017. And Sonoma Clean Power is also offering an additional $2,500 incentive by way of their 45-day Drive EverGreen pilot program (Oct.27 - Jan. 5) while funds last, or $5,000 to income qualified customers. Grants and rebates are also available when you purchase your own EV charger. An additional rebate of $3,000 is available from Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, if you live in the parts of the county north of the airport. This is only while the funds last. A good reason to get your EV now. All over California, you can get a $2,500 cash rebate if you buy or lease a full-service electric car such as the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S or Ford Focus EV. Add to that the federal tax credit and you save as much as $10,000. The Chevrolet Volt, Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Fusion Energi, Honda Accord Plug-In and Prius Plug-In Read more about our local SoCo Drive Green in 2017 movement: Sonoma Clean Power adds electric vehicles to its fight to address climate change Sonoma County to offer incentives for drivers to switch to electric cars City of Sonoma goes “Evergreen” #electricvehicles #driveevergreen #drivechevyclean #2017chevybolt #santarosaplatinumchevrolet #sonomacleanpower #taxrebates #sonomagoesevergreen READ & SHARE THIS ARTICLE IN SPANISH LANGUAGE BELOW
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From Bankruptcy to Bailout to Success – GM Comes Out a Better Company By: Daniel Kerbein & Evelina Molina for Ventana Latina “We have a waiting list 40 people for the new Bolt EV,” says Douglas Snow, Sales Consultant at Platinum Chevrolet. “These buyers are not just waiting to see and test drive this vehicle – they've filled out their purchase paperwork and put down a deposit.” On the weekend before Christmas, a Bolt demo arrived from GM, and people flocked to the showroom for a test drive. I also visited Platinum Chevrolet that weekend, because the dealership is a leading player in our three-county coverage area, and I wanted to find out what could have given this car such an exciting reputation. Ventana Latina Team Test Drives the Bolt During my test drive I experienced a car that is fun to drive, with confident handling and a pinpoint turn radius. A state of the art panoramic rear view mirror display in HD, plus a backup camera that even warns of objects close to either side of the car. And of course, good off-the-line acceleration, which some test drivers have compared to that of a Tesla. The Bolt EV's battery capacity is 60 kilowatt-hours, and if pressed to the limit, it will use more than 90 percent of that. In practical terms, says Snow, “You can drive this car 240 miles on a single charge. That kind of range is as good as a Tesla, for less than half the price.” Most owners are likely to drive the Bolt in daily use, recharging every couple of nights, perhaps no more than once a week. One factor has to be the awards the Bolt has won - including 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader’s Choice Green Car of the Year, Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2017, Green Car Journal's 2017 Green Car of the Year. Time Magazine even listed it among the Best 25 Inventions of the Year of 2016. From Bankruptcy to Bailout to Success – GM Comes Out a Better Company This is the kind of success that puts the 2008 recession, and GM's 2009 bankruptcy, into the realm of distant memory. The U.S. Government issued the company a bailout of approximately $50 Billion, which has since been repaid with interest, along with $39 Billion in tax revenue and saving more than a million jobs in the auto industry. “That whole bailout, the bankruptcy and recovery was probably the best thing that ever happened to GM,” says Snow, looking back on events that happened less than 8 years ago. “The company became leaner, and we learned to innovate. The taxpayers made a profit.” And, he points out, General Motors “has won more awards for sustainability than any other U.S. auto maker.” Last but not least, this EV is built for comfort as well as speed - almost an anomaly in the world of cars. In the words of Green Car Reports, “the Bolt is a five-seat, five-door hatchback, with the footprint of a compact car but more interior volume than a (Tesla) Model S.” Comparisons to Tesla keep coming up when describing the Bolt. From performance to battery range, even seating space and comfort. These high standards prompted financial analysts at JP Morgan to state, “the Bolt represents solid competition for the upcoming Tesla Model 3.” They even expressed a concern over the fortunes of Tesla during the coming model year. The verdict is in: The silent, low-cost Bolt has all the necessary features to dominate the field. Chevy Bolt EV – Means No More Gasoline! The new Bolt runs entirely on its charge. No gasoline needed. This means no gasoline to purchase, zero emissions, no oil changes, no smog checks, no spark plugs, no radiator coolant, no muffler, no catalytic converters. None of that stuff, for the life of the car. All those savings – and, you get a hefty California rebate, a Federal tax credit, and some very valuable perks in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. And best of all it's good for Mother Earth too! TAKE A TEST DRIVE TODAY! (707) 525-1800 Indeed, since 2009 GM has been on a trend line of building sustainability into its production plants, and producing more sustainable vehicles. In its 2011 model year, the company turned heads with the Volt plug-in hybrid, which it has since been improving every year. A plug-in hybrid features a battery that can both accept energy, and recharge while driving its additional internal combustion engine kicks in. When the battery's charge drops below a certain threshold, the engine kicks in and the battery gets a recharge from the brakes and the engine. This gives you a approximately 40 miles of battery-run driving, before the high-efficiency engine starts up to complete the journey. The EPA gives this a 65-mpg rating. Doug puts this into practical terms: “A Volt with a full charge and nine gallons of fuel in the tank will drive you approximately 400 miles.” CHEVROLET MEETS COMMUNITY-BASED CARBON-REDUCTION GOAL “This initiative helped us to fuel the clean-energy movement with our customers to inspire more change.” “Chevrolet launched this carbon-reduction initiative in 2010 when we debuted the Volt to demonstrate our commitment to a clean energy future,” said Alan Batey, General Motors North America president and Global Chevrolet brand chief. “Since then, our Volt customers have driven 700 million electric miles and renewable energy is powering nearly a tenth of our company’s U.S. energy consumption. TAKE A TEST DRIVE TODAY!
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Daniel KerbeinI hope you enjoy my blog entries on the subjects of Eco-mobility and sustainable transportation alternatives, which I have found very interesting to my audience. Archives
February 2017
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