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If President Obama signs the just-passed bill from Congress which mandates funding for the Department of Energy to fund three-wheeled vehicles like the Aptera 2e and Myers Motors NMG2 could be eligible for the same kind of loans Tesla Motors just received.

Read More: Congressional Bill Passes: DOE to Begin Funding 3-Wheeled Vehicles

Everyone wants government money. It seems that all of the electric vehicle manufacturers, whether making parts, batteries, or cars want in on that cheap Department of Energy cash. Matthew Lesko is already working on a new book with a working title of “Get FREE Government Money For Your Electric Car Company!”*

Read More: More Department of Energy Loans and Foibles: Tesla, Aptera, and More

The Progressive Automotive X Prize begins this month, with judging on the 136 official entries starting soon. To get in, these cars had to meet specific criteria, not the least of which is the ability to get at least 100mpg. The hardest to meet, however, is commercial viability. The vehicle must have a plan for mass production.

Read More: Automotive X-Prize Competitors’ List Release: 136 Entries

FEV proposed the Wankel Rotary Engine as a range-extender solution at this year’s SAE conference. The issues of repeated starting and engine vibration are becoming paramount in plug-in hybrid maker’s minds. Efficiency, quiet operation, and the ability to stand up to repeated starting are important to the overall comfort and long-term operation of a PHEV.

Read More: FEV Proposes Wankel Rotary Engine as a Range Extender

Here’s a couple of great videos we found about the Aptera. The first is a great automotive report on the Aptera from Edmunds InsideLine. The second is a great short showing off the Aptera’s handling in corners from GreenCarReports.com.

Read More: VIDEO: Aptera Overview and the Aptera Stability Question Answered

The Aptera 2e underwent the first in its series of crash tests for federal motor vehicle highway safety and exploded on impact this morning. Engineers say that they’ve never seen anything like it. “It went up in a huge fireball like it was full of jet fuel or something,” Mort Vladinsky, one of the engineers, said to the press.

Read More: Aptera 2e Goes Through First Crash Test And EXPLODES!

We’re excited to find out that the upcoming 2009 California Truck Jam and Car Show will feature a day-long Electric Vehicle Festival too! The event will take place on July 18th at Hollywood Park, California from 2pm to 10pm.

Read More: Electric Vehicle Festival to Accompany 2009 California Truck Jam!

The Department of Energy has $25 billion slated for loans as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. Aptera is angry because these funds are available only to licensable, FMVSS-compliant vehicles (i.e. cars) and not to 3-wheeled enclosed motorcycles (the Aptera).

Read More: Aptera Going to Washington to Fight DoE for Loans

Refuting the claims that the Aptera is not as safe as other cars, Marques McCammon, Aptera’s Chief Marketing Officer, talked to Green Fuels Forecast. He emphasized that the 2e was not designed as a 3-wheeler to skirt safety requirements, but rather to improve efficiency.

Read More: Aptera 2e to Undergo Crash Testing

Tired of seeing the Aptera in only white? Well, fear not, for it’s filsmyth’s Photoshop to the rescue! This intrepid Aptera fan dared to go where no Aptera has gone before: into color!

Read More: The Aptera in Color