Clean Vehicle Research Institute

A dark spring 09

It's been a tornado the past 9 months. Gas went from $4 to $2 a gallon in just three months from September to December 08. Efectively erasing USA public attention to 'clean' car solutions... Chrysler is bankrupt and GM is on the ropes. Best OEM electric vehicle is about to dissapear as Vectrix goes bye, bye. The only source for high performance controllers is in limbo, while Otmar finds a solid way to license 'Zillas'. Almost 20 outfits announce 'electric cars' but not one can pin delivery dates, prices below 35K USD or long range guaranteed battery packs. Not to mention a very deep recession that, for all practical reasons, wipes off customers for many months to come. Its called life.

Our side of the sun

In June 08, we had five solid programs going strong, and the US operation picking up, Investment banking and derivatives changed it all. In just a mere hundred days venture capital, government interest and customer base vanished, along with a few trillion dollars. Only the Mexican taxi operation was saved from pause, due to the taxi owners coalition resolve to have first units delivered in 2009, Q3. The program has kept a slow rhythm but did not stalled. So this summer, hype aside, a slow comeback could be in the numbers, A lot of EV pending matters in Florida, Oregon and Mexico must be resolved to get the Institute back on track. It will be done, step by step.

The immediate road ahead