There has been some interesting news that I have been following lately.

Firstly, UBC came out with a study which revealed that Hybrid rebates are ineffective. According to this study, the majority of people who purchase hybrids were going to purchase them anyway so the rebate did not act as an incentive, but instead are “subsidizing planned purchases“. The study further claims that the rebates spend an average of $195.00 per tonne of carbon saved. There are other technologies and green jobs which are less expensive and could have the same or greater environmental impact, that the government  could invest in instead. The study went so far as to say, the rebates could be viewed as another form of bailout for the limping auto industry in North America.

Just around the same time this study came out, the Ontario goverment committed $17 million to Mississauga-based Electrovaya, a company that makes lithium-ion  battery packs and is working toward producing components for electric cars for a number of international companies. 240 new jobs will come about for this community as well. This money goes directly to a Canadian company working on new technologies, rather to any car company through consumer rebates. Is this what the UBC study was talking about?

Finally, GM has announced Volt, their new rechargeable electric car with fuel consumption of about 1.0 litre per 100 km of city driving (yet to be proven officially). That makes the Volt four times as efficient as the Toyota Prius, which is currently the most efficient car sold in Canada. That is quite a jump in efficiency.  It will cost $40,000 before the provincial rebate, which in Ontario could be as high as $10,000.

The rate of movement seems to have picked up and no longer are companies secretly crushing electric cars. I haven’t yet seen the new documentary, Revenge of the Electric Car; instead I am watching it in real time.