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Chrysler has released their new 5-year plan to get back in the black. While the plan talks about better fuel efficiency and more targeted, focused vehicle models within brands, it says absolutely nothing about electrics or hybrids.

Read More: Chrysler’s New Five Year Plan: No Eco-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

At least the general idea was nice. Chrysler has announced that they will no longer be supplying printed manuals with their vehicles, but will instead include a DVD with electronic versions as well as some instructional videos. This move will save (they say) 20,000 trees per year.

Read More: Unable to Build a Green Car, Chrysler Greens Up the Owner’s Manuals Instead

Bloomberg published a piece by John Hughes that says the obvious: taxpayers aren’t going to get their “investment” in GM and Chrysler back. Which makes it not an investment at all, but a bailout.

Read More: The Auto Bailout Saga Continues - Don’t Expect Taxpayer Reimbursement of Bailouts

The first-ever Electric Motor Show starts November 6 in Helsinki, Finland. The show will feature the famous Tesla Roadster and a newcomer to the field, Finland-owned AMC Motors with their Sanifer range of electric vehicles.

Read More: Tesla Motors and AMC Power Up the Electric Motor Show

General Motors‘ bondholders rejected a debt-for-equity swap and so have set into motion the likely bankrupting of GM. This could be the largest industrial bankruptcy in American history. GM has until the end of the month to convince government officials that it’s solvent, but with over $100 billion in red ink, it’s not likely to happen.

Read More: GM Faces Bankruptcy, What Will the Fallout Be?

Chrysler officially declared bankruptcy last week amongst cries from various political parties and pundits over the whys and hows of the deal. Despite billions in government bailouts and massive cutbacks by the company–even the restructuring of agreements with United Auto Workers and several of Chrysler’s debtors–the company could not avoid the inevitable.

Read More: Chrysler, Fiat, Bankruptcy and Renewal: Can Fiat Win U.S. Over?

Chrysler unveiled the first four of an eventual 250 battery-powered electric minivans for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The vans are based on the automaker’s Town & Country EV that was shown off late last year in LA. Because they are meant for Post Office duty routes (which are relatively short range), they are being built without the accompanying range-extending motor, so they’ll be all-electric rather than plug-in hybrids.

Read More: Chrysler’s New Electric Minivan for the US Post Office

Both General Motors and Chrysler have been told by the Obama administration’s automotive task force that they should prepare for bankruptcy. The U.S. Treasury has announced that they’re prepping plans to put Chrysler into Chapter 11 for a fast reorganization, which could happen before the month is out.

GM has already announced that Pontiac will be gone by 2011 and will be unloading Saab, Saturn, and Hummer before the end of the year. In all, there are 13 total GM brands hitting the bricks over the next 2 years. This is according to GM’s latest “viability plan” submitted to the government.

The Saturn brand is one of those likely to be sold off entirely, though the company has said that they are willing to continue production of Saturn vehicles as a contract assmebly deal. This would make a buyout of Saturn by Saturn dealerships viable–one of the known offers on the table right now.

Read More: GM and Chrysler Likely Facing Bankruptcy - GM Drops Pontiac and Saturn Brands

The Obama Administration plans to send another $285 million in funding to Detroit to purchase 17,600 new vehicles from the Big 3 before June 1st. The loose requirements for these “green” vehicles is that they manage to get at least 10% improvements in overall fuel efficiency from their counterparts.

Read More: More Bailouts for the Big 3 in Detroit