Posts Tagged ‘Oklahoma’

by Jennifer Palmer for OKNews.com, June 2, 2010

The state has pulled the plug on tax credits for electric vehicle buyers.

A law passed Friday, the final day of the legislative session, eliminating the tax credit effective July 1. The changes won’t impact existing tax credit applications or pending litigation because it isn’t retroactive, the Oklahoma Tax Commission said.

Though individuals will no longer be able to claim a state tax credit on electric cars, the law adds a new incentive for manufacturers. Credits of $500 for low-speed, $1,000 for medium-speed and $2,000 for highway-capable electric vehicles will now be available to companies producing these vehicles in the state.

Atlanta-based Wheego is considering Piedmont as the site of its new production facility, but Chief Executive Officer Mike McQuary said Tuesday the change to Oklahoma’s law is “a disappointment.”

“The consumer tax credit was the most attractive thing for us about coming to Oklahoma,” he said. It had been successful in getting more Wheego cars on the road, he added.

Wheego plans to decide in the near future if it will build its new production plant.

“Oklahoma went from the top of the list to somewhere in the pack,” McQuary said.

Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Dacoma, who authored the bill, said the manufacturers’ credits were added with the hopes of landing the Wheego facility or others like it, to create jobs and bring in new business.

“I think if the government is going to be involved, we need to be doing things that create jobs and invest in the state,” Hickman said.

The consumer credit, he said, didn’t create jobs or have a positive fiscal impact on the state. It had become too costly.

So far, the approved credits on 2009 tax returns have cost the state about $3.3 million, and many claims are still pending, the tax commission said.

Last year, the state credit of 50 percent of the purchase price, combined with a $7,500 federal tax credit, caused a buying frenzy with dealers advertising models of low-speed electric vehicles for as little as $1,000 or less after factoring in the credits.

Sales tempered after the Oklahoma Tax Commission announced only certain models would qualify for the credit.

Roger Gaddis, owner of Ada Electric Cars, along with several other dealers is suing the Tax Commission over their handling of the credits. He said he invested a lot in his business and now is stuck with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unsold inventory.

“We’ve sold almost no cars since Jan. 1,” he said. Some customers blame him, he added, even though the Tomberlin models he mainly sold were first approved for the credit, then later disqualified. The lawsuit, filed in December in Oklahoma County District Court, is ongoing.

Read more: http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-tax-credits-on-electric-vehicles-to-end-july-1/article/3465484#ixzz0pi2q02cb

by Jennifer Palmier for NewsOK, May 15, 2010

Electric vehicle maker Wheego wants to bring a production plant to Oklahoma because of high sales in 2009. But the Atlanta-based company first wants the reassurance of a state tax credit for its customers.

PIEDMONT — Wheego Electric Cars is considering Oklahoma for a new production facility but first wants the reassurance of a state tax credit for its customers. 
The Atlanta-based electric car maker is looking at Piedmont as the site for its second U.S. production facility because one of its dealers, AMP Control, owns land there, said Wheego CEO Mike McQuary. The company currently assembles the cars in Ontario, Calif.

Wheego makes the Whip, a low-speed electric vehicle that seats two and reaches a top speed of 35 miles per hour. But the company plans to debut its highway-capable Whip LiFe model in August, with maximum speed of about 65 miles per hour.McQuary said he wants to build the production facility in a location where a lot of cars are sold, and in 2009 Oklahoma held the company’s highest sales.But uncertainty over whether the state tax credit will continue has placed plans for the production plant on hold.

The state tax credit is for 50 percent of the purchase price of an electric vehicle. That, combined with a $7,500 federal tax credit, caused a buying frenzy last year with dealers advertising models of low-speed electric vehicles for as little as $1,000 or less after factoring in the credits.Sales tempered after the Oklahoma Tax Commission announced only certain models would qualify for the credit (the Wheego Whip is one of those models).About 1,500 taxpayers claimed the electric vehicle tax credit for 2009, the tax commission said. Of those, about 500 have been approved, 480 were denied and the rest are being processed.The law allowing the state tax credit is still in place but the Legislature is considering appealing or amending the statute, said Paula Ross, a spokeswoman for the tax commission.For 2010, the federal tax credit on low-speed models was reduced to a maximum of $2,500 but high-speed vehicles, such as the Wheego LiFe, are still eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.Piedmont Mayor Mike Fina said he’s concerned that if state tax incentives are eliminated, so will the potential for an electric vehicle industry in Oklahoma and the city of Piedmont”It’s such a new and interesting concept. It brings notoriety to Piedmont. That’s exciting for us,” said Fina, who also works as director of policy and communications for Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.Fina said he’s been urging legislators to keep the tax credit in some form.”We want to encourage people to buy these cars,” he said. “We’re trying to change the attitude in an oil-powered state. You need to give people some encouragement.”

By Andy Ostmeyer for the Joplin Globe, April 27, 2010

MIAMI, Okla. — With gas prices in the neighborhood of $2.75 a gallon, Scott Kreeger figures it costs 13.8 cents a mile just in fuel costs to deliver pizzas using a vehicle with a traditional combustion engine.

Now, he figures he will be able to do it for about 2.4 cents per mile.

Kreeger is director of operations for two Pizza Hut restaurants in Miami, as well as Pizza Hut restaurants in Grove, Jay, Baxter Springs, Kan., and Columbus, Kan. His father, Renick Kreeger, is the franchisee.

They recently bought a Wheego Whip, an all-electric, low-speed car, and started making some of their first deliveries in Miami last week. The car, a two-seater, has a dozen batteries in the back that allow it to scoot around town at no more 35 mph — perfect for their business.

“They call them neighborhood vehicles,” Scott Kreeger said. “They will do about 20 deliveries. “It plugs into a regular household 110 outlet. You can get about 40 miles on an eight-hour charge. It is supposed to cost no more than what it costs to run your refrigerator.” Kreeger estimates that combustion-engine vehicles that get 20 miles to a gallon of gas would cost between 13 and 14 cents per mile to operate at current prices. He estimates he will be able to charge his Wheego for 96 cents per day, or 2.4 cents per mile.

He calculates that over a year, he won’t have to buy 730 gallons of gas, which would cost more than $2,000 at $2.75 per gallon. At 96 cents a day to charge, it will cost $350 to run the Wheego. That’s a savings of more than $1,650 a year.

The all-electric car cost around $21,000 to buy, which means it would take more than a decade for it to pay for itself, except that Kreeger’s 2009 Whip also qualified for a $7,500 federal tax credit (which has since been reduced) and a $10,000 tax credit from the state of Oklahoma. In other words, the car pays for itself in less than two years, Kreeger said, with one additional upside: no tailpipe emissions.

The car has been a big hit around town so far, Kreeger said. “We’re getting a lot of people looking at it when we’re driving it around,” he said.

Andy Ostmeyer is the metro editor for The Joplin Globe.

ATLANTA, GA (January 7, 2010) – WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS, manufacturer of all-electric street legal LSVs (Low Speed Vehicles), today announced that the Wheego Whip continues to qualify for the 50% Oklahoma State Tax Credit.

 AMPCONTROL, Inc of Piedmont, Oklahoma is the exclusive Wheego dealer throughout the state of Oklahoma. Ryan Deatherage, President of AMPCONTROL, says Oklahomans have been enthusiastic drivers of the Wheego Whip. “We have had a huge response to the all-electric Wheego Whip. In December, we hosted test drive events in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Altus and Sayre, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone gets in the Wheego and says, ‘wow, this is a real car.’ Sales have been very strong, with many new customers coming from friends and neighbors of our original drivers.” Representatives of Oklahoma businesses and universities who would like to host a test drive event at their location are invited to contact Ryan Deatherage at 405-373-0990.

Currently, the Wheego Whip LSV qualifies for both the Oklahoma State Tax Credit of 50% of the price of the Electric Vehicle, and the 10% Federal Tax Credit in 2010 for LSVs. After Federal and State Tax Credits, the $18,995 (MSRP) Wheego Whip can be purchased by Oklahomans for under $7600, plus applicable taxes and delivery fees.

 The initial Wheego offering is the Whip, available now. The Whip is an all-electric LSV which can drive on roads with posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less in Oklahoma. The Wheego highway-speed all-electric car is expected in Summer of 2010. The Wheego Whip is a fully-loaded two-seat compact car with fit, finish and features that compete with any other subcompact car on the market.  Features include remote keyless entry, air conditioning, and MP3 stereo system. The all-electric Wheego Whip runs on sealed lead-acid batteries and can be charged from a standard household outlet.

 About Wheego Electric Cars

Wheego Electric Cars is an innovation-driven and environmentally-conscious manufacturer of Electric Vehicles (EVs).  Under the leadership of Mike McQuary, CEO and former MindSpring entrepreneur, Wheego Electric Cars has become a leader in the integration of advanced technology components.  Wheego Electric Cars is one of the first EV companies to deliver affordable fully capable, street legal LSV/MSV electric cars for everyday consumer use.

For more information about Wheego, visit the company website at www.wheego.net.

 About AMPCONTROL

Led by CEO Max Heckl, AMPCONTROL is a well-established engineering and technology company based in Oklahoma City. AMPCONTROL is a distributor of leading-edge machinery including radio controlled Spider slope mowers as well as EVs.

For more information about AMPCONTROL, visit the company website at www.ampcontrolinc.com

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Small, Task-Oriented Vehicles  (STOV), December 19, 2009

Oklahoma’s Supreme Court recently ruled that the Garfield County District Court, which had ruled in favor of LSV dealers and customers in October, did not have jurisdiction in the case and vacated that court’s order.  For dealers and customers this means that the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s previous letter rulings on qualified vehicles now apply again.  Some vehicles purchased with the understanding that they would be eligible for the state tax credit are no longer considered eligible.

It appears that the bulk of the rulings by the commission are not in favor of the manufacturers.  For example, the Badboy Buggie XT LSV, the Stealth Patriot LSV, the Fairplay EVE, Fairplay Goat, American Custom Golfcars Hummers H3, American Custom Golfcars Escalade, American Custom Golfcars Roadster Limo and Titan UTV Hunting Buggy do not qualify.  Per the commission they do not qualify because…

The term ‘qualified electric motor vehicle property’ shall not apply to vehicles known as ‘golf carts,’ ‘go-carts’ and other motor vehicles which are manufactured principally for use off the streets and highways.

Some of the vehicles that do qualify include:

• Most but not all Bigman models
• Club Car Carryall 2 & 6 LSVs
• Columbia ParCar Mega Truck models and Summit models with enclosures
• All the GEM models
• A few of the Star models
• Wheego Whip

The complete set of ruling letters for twenty-three manufacturers can be found here.  Learn more:  EdmondSun.com

Comment: When I first spoke with the Oklahoma Tax Commission after their initial ruling they  talked about trying to clarify the law and that revenue concerns were not the issue.  When they appealed the district court’s ruling they noted that the tax credit could cost the state upwards of $40 million. In my opinion they are trying to avoid losing revenue from tax credits. It would be interesting to see, in detail, how they are deciding which vehicles qualify and which ones don’t. – Marc Cesare

by Paul Crockett for Oklahoma’s KRMG Local News, December 18, 2009 

(Tulsa, OK) – If you’re tired of the volatile price of gasoline, Wheego Electric Cars Inc. would like you to consider one of their vehicles.  They were on display at the Oklahoma Aquarium on Friday.  The little electric cars are small but actually about a foot longer than the Smart Fortwo, a gasoline powered vehicle.  Les Seagraves, the company’s marketing vice president says the Wheego can travel 40 miles on a full charge.  Don’t think about hitting the highway in one, their top speed is 35 mph so they are strictly for in town use.  Seagraves says if you buy one before the end of the year you can get a 50% tax credit from Oklahoma and a $7,500 tax credit from the feds.  He says they sticker for $19,000.  They’re assembled in Ontario, CA and if you want to buy one in Oklahoma you’ll have to go to Amp Control Inc. in Piedmont which is just northwest of Oklahoma City.  You can find out more at www.wheego.net.