Fuck CARB...
I mean.. Thank God for CARB saving us from ourselves. :laughing
So true!
I'm super excited about the Utopia that our California government has in store for us!
For example, I think it's awesome that the state that has the highest electricity prices, and a (highly government regulated) power grid so bad that it burns down large parts of the state, has now mandated electric cars.
ETA: read the article, the comments are funny.
Here is what I think really happened: COMOTO struck the deal because it gives them a cheap "out." Now they are good with CARB. This has the effect of putting smaller online retailers right into CARB cross hairs. It's worth the money they paid.
COMOTO can make themselves look like victims, and get everybody mad at CARB. But the larger effect will be that smaller retailers will have to cover their butts now and hope CARB doesn't come after them. Basically, COMOTO paid "protection money" to CARB.
This is an old trick - and I will explain. It's helpful if you think how
organized crime works.
In San Francisco a few years ago, the City wanted to outlaw cigarette sales in liquor stores. Liquor store owners weren't having it. So they made a deal with the City and
got grandfathered in. This had the effect of preventing new competitors from selling cigarettes. It's literally anti-competitive, but everyone gets what they "want."
Like I said, when you think about government stuff, please realize that the line between government and organized crime is very thin. One is slightly on one side of the law, and the other one is not. But the tactics and techniques used to get money are the exact same.