California has Potential to be a Strong Contender in Amazon's Search for New Headquarters

Last week, an exciting opportunity arose for cities throughout North America. Amazon Inc. announced its plans to expand further by building a second headquarters, dubbed HQ2. Since the announcement, mayors and governors across the United States have been submitting proposals and offering tax incentives to the giant company, trying to get Amazon to choose them. According to Andrew Khouri's L.A. Times article, California won't be offering quite as much as other states when it comes to tax incentives, but instead, will be relying on its inherent attractiveness as a metropolitan area with good weather, education opportunities, and skilled laborers.

In some states, like Wisconsin or Nevada, billions of dollars in subsidies and tax incentives are offered to manufacturing and tech companies looking to make a move. They hope that the tax incentives they provide initially will be paid off in the future by thousands of more jobs in the area and an improvement in the housing market. Wisconsin is in the process of working out a $3 billion package with television producer Foxconn. In 2014, Nevada's $1.3 billion package earned them Tesla's lithium-ion battery factory, a factory that Governor Jerry Brown has been vying for.

The amount of money being offered may not matter as much for landing the Amazon deal. Amazon is one of the wealthiest companies in the world, and they have made the parameters of their new headquarters well known. They are looking for a metropolitan area with skilled workers, desirable housing, good distribution routes, and a strong base of customers. With its shipping ports, high quality of life, and many prestigious public universities, California could be a strong choice for Amazon's second headquarters.

Analysts believe that Amazon's main purpose in being so public about their search is to try to get competing offers from different cities so that they can use them to leverage a better tax incentive package from whichever city they actually want for their headquarters. That's why they believe that California has a good chance. Research shows that around 90% of the time, companies would choose the city they chose whether they got the same incentive package or not. It really seems to be up to California itself to shine. Either Amazon wants to build HQ2 here or the company doesn't. The amount of money being offered is unlikely to make much of a difference.

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ElectroMotiveLA Aims to Educate Consumers About Electric Vehicle Options

Most if not all drivers have heard something about the variety of electrical vehicles being marketed throughout the ever-evolving automobile industry. However, most of those people only know the bare bones about electric cars, if even that much. Besides the fact that electric vehicles are better for the environment and can be better for a consumer's wallet in the long run, very few consumers know much about what makes the different brands and models distinct. Fortunately, according to Russ Mitchell's L.A. Times article, a brand new website called ElectroMotiveLA was started to try to help people become more informed.

The website has many setting that allows potential buyers to do the necessary research to fully understand the car that they are looking to buy. It is designed specifically for Los Angeles residents and details the different models of electric vehicle and the kinds of features each version comes with. The website's settings allow a user to search for specific charging capabilities, the distance the car can travel on a single charge, and the type of tax credits the government tends to offer. To get specific information, ElectroMotiveLA meets with the heads of marketing at the companies and dealerships, but according to Mitchell, does not accept any payment from them.

ElectroMotiveLA is funded by a subsidiary of the Schmidt Family Foundation, a non-profit organization with a goal of improving renewable energy. Because the Foundation is looking to cut out fossil fuels and increase the prevalence of green energy sources, the creation fo the website to help consumers understand the technology seems to be the logical first step. Additionally, because ElectroMotiveLA receives its funding completely from the non-profit, it doesn't need to collect money from the car companies that it is reviewing, which gives the website more credibility.

Mainly, the goal is not to inform people about how electrical vehicles can save fuel and help prevent further environmental degradation. Instead, ElectroMotiveLA focuses on the stylish, cool aspects of the new types of electric vehicles, In that way, potential buyers have a good time learning about the technology, and may be more inclined to invest in it in the future. At this point, because gas prices are relatively low, people are not interested in paying double the price to get the electric version of their trusty combustion engine.

If people can be shown that the price difference is not so large, or that the difference in price can be made up over the long-term based on the personal and societal benefits of driving an electric car, then maybe that portion of the automobile industry will be able to grow. Already, California is moving forward, taking the lead in the electric vehicle market. That state boasts about 50% of total sales in the country, of which Los Angeles itself holds about 20% of the state's sales. Improved education on the subject, such as that provided by ElectroMotiveLA, could help the state's record continue to improve, Perhaps California's zero-emission mandate will be met sooner than expected.

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Not All Tesla Customers Will Get Expected Tax Rebates on Model 3

Tesla's new electric vehicle, the Model 3, is making waves throughout the market. Thousands of buyers are looking to get their hands on the luxurious, energy-efficient, affordably-priced car. At $35,000 before any governmental rebates, the Model 3's price can't be beaten by other electric vehicle producers. Thousands of dollars in state and federal rebates are offered to buyers, thus making the car an even better deal, but the rebates are not as easy to get as a buyer might think. According to Rob Nikolewski's article in the L.A. Times, buyers shouldn't count on the rebates when determining whether they can afford to purchase Tesla's Model 3.

Just this week, Tesla allowed potential customers from around the world to put down a $1,000 deposit in order to reserve their Model 3, which won't actually hit the market until December 2017. In the first 3 days, over 270,000 customers reserved their future vehicle, drawn in by its price, appearance, and the Tesla brand name. Many also took into account potential rebates that they expect to receive from the government, which Nikolewski considers an unfortunate oversight. According to him, most of the government rebates could run out by the time people get behind the wheel of their Model 3.

Southern Californians can receive $7,500 from federal subsidies and $2,500 from state subsidies when purchasing one of Tesla's electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the subsidies are only allowed for a certain number of customers. After 200,000 Tesla vehicles have been sold, the government will start to phase out the subsidies until, eventually, there will be none left. Additionally,  the state recently announced that wealthy buyers (a head of household income of greater than $340,000 or a single filer income greater than $250,000) will not qualify for the state rebates at all. So, some buyers are trying to play the odds to have the greatest chance of getting the $10,000 in tax rebates.

One customer in Santa Monica, Paul Scott, decided to go for the $50,000 version of the Model 3, which comes "fully loaded." Scott's logic in ordering the most expensive model is that he assumes that Tesla will produce their more expensive models earliest, which means that he will have a greater chance of getting the rebates before they run out. Either way, Scott asserts, he is fully willing to buy the car, whether he gets the tax credit or not. Other buyers, however, don't even seem to realize that the tax rebates are not a definite source of income. They are assuming that the price will automatically be $10,000 less, and are making their purchasing decisions with incorrect numbers, a mistake that they will regret.

Tesla needs to make the terms much more clear for customers. While $35,000 is still an incredibly low price, especially for a high-end, energy-efficient vehicle that grants owners the use of Tesla's supercharger stations, customers will not be happy if they find out that they won't be able to get the $10,000 in tax credits that they had expected. For all we know, California may decide to raise the number of individuals to which they will grant rebates, in order to encourage more potential buyers into greener vehicles. So, it is possible that a lot more than 200,000 customers will get tax credits. Either way, Tesla needs to make the situation as transparent as possible so as to avoid upsetting customers and losing potential customers forever.

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