Chrysler to Spend $244m Bailout Bucks to Get $244m DOE Handout to Build 365 $1m Prototype EVs

Does this sound strange to you: Chrysler proposes spending $224 million of your tax money (bailout bucks) to land another $244 million of your tax money (Department of Energy green bucks). They plan on using the money to develop and, yes, build electric vehicles. Volt Envi much? Hang on; is the DOE money a “grant” or a “loan”? I mean, in all this $100 billion bailout excitement, has everyone forgotten about the $25 billion Department of Energy retooling loans? Is this deal part of that deal or the billion dollar battery research thing? Anyway, Reuters doesn’t say from whence cometh this particular part of the feds’ attempt to fix Motown’s meltdown. But they do put quote marks around Chrysler’s “partners” (you and Fiat sitting in a tree?) and parrot the zombie automaker’s enviro-agitprop without question.

“Chrysler and its ‘partners,’ plus the Department of Energy, would pay $224 million each should the proposals be approved and would include an investment of up to $83 million to build a new technology and manufacturing center in Michigan to help develop and assemble these vehicles. That complex should be functional by 2010 and produce more than 20,000 vehicles a year, Chrysler said.” Right. Like we believe anything Chrysler says. But they should have at least mentioned the number of “green jobs” (TTAC hearts quote marks) the project would create. C’mon guys, get some game going! Saying that, you gotta love this little tidbit . . .

The plan would also include $365 million for a national demonstration fleet of more than 365 test vehicles for select customers and partners.

Holy shit! A million dollars a pop! Now that kind of proposal takes some serious balls. You know; for a bankrupt car company living on Uncle Sam’s dime. Props.