Three-Wheeled Vehicles, Green Light for Funding

The US Congress has passed a new piece of legislation allowing for manufacturers of three-wheeled vehicles to get funding for their projects. The bill is now waiting President’s Obama approval who, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee, quoted by Autonews, is expected to sign it.

“This is a huge win for scientific innovation and the environment,” Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., one of the co-sponsors of the original bill was quoted as saying by the source. “We need more innovation and less regulation when it comes to promoting new ways to save energy while saving money at the pump.”

The legislation gives the Energy Department the legal backing it needed to fund manufacturer’s the likes of Aptera or Elio. The bill itself does not sit well with established carmakers like GM, which claims the Energy Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program is only for carmakers who can make a difference.

The Aptera 2e promises to be a 200 mpg three-wheeler vehicle, but it faced troubling times ahead due to the high price estimated for it - in between $25,000 and $40,000, depending on the version. Mass production is scheduled to begin 2010, after the company will borrow $75 million from DOE.

Elio on the other hand offers an 83-mpg vehicle for under $7,500, with production scheduled to begin also in 2010.

The approval of the legislation will also force the DOE to look into loan applications it rejected last year.