In the world of electric and hybrid vehicles, California is king. There's hardly a green marketing strategy, initiative or first step that doesn't involve the Golden State -- and for good reason. Cali has done its part to define itself as an environmental leader, and it has the laws and requirements to match. Which is why, for example, Tesla -- maker of $100,000 all-electric sports cars -- can rake in $13.8 million by selling "zero-emission vehicle" credits to automakers such as Honda. Automakers need such credits to average out their emissions numbers in such a way as to meet California's strict pollution standards. Tesla, being all electric, has such credits in spades -- but what it doesn't have is profit. The company has been in the red since its beginning in 2003.
Also ironic is that the sale of credits to Honda -- the top-ranked carmaker in terms of fuel efficiency -- in fact helps out the competitor of one of Tesla's main financial backers: Toyota Motor Corp.
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