Important news at http://www.aqmd.gov/hb/2005/0505ag.html and links from
that page.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has just approved support
for not one, not two, but three plug-in hybrid projects.

SCAQMD is the district responsible for air quality for 15 million residents
of portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and all
of Orange County.

1. They're supporting the Electric Power Research Institute's
DaimlerChrysler Sprinter Van development program, contracting to get 5 of
the vehicles for AQMD.

2. They're funding AC Propulsion to upgrade its VW Jetta plug-in hybrid --
the first vehicle to include bi-directional charging to demonstrate the
future benefits of what's called Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) -- see description
at the bottom of the CalCars Vehicles page http://www.calcars.org/vehicles.html

3. They've allocated significant development funds to EnergyCS, Inc.
(partner with Clean-Tech in the new EDrive Systems, LLC), "to convert a
2005 Toyota Prius to a plug-in hybrid and demonstrate improved mileage and
zero emission range." In this phase of a process that will lead turnkey
retrofits in 2006, they are joining with other groups including:
California Air Resources Board
California Cars Initiative
City of Santa Monica
Clean-Tech LLC
EnergyCS, Inc.
Southern California Edison
Valence Technology, Inc.
Among other results will be scientific documentation of the vehicle's
performance on Southern California Edison's Pomona Loop.